Almost one month has flown by since the new year began, and with the start of a new year came fresh hopes for improvement. These hopes are often shaped into a New Year’s resolution.
Unfortunately, as the appeal of a new year begins to fizzle out, so does the drive to make these resolutions a reality.
The beginning of a new year is often placed on a pedestal and used as a motivational centerpiece for people aspiring to make this year “the best.”
This idea genuinely sounds great, but not many people have made their year successful just because they developed a New Year’s resolution.
The overall success rate to this idea would be even better if people did the work and followed through with their resolutions instead of wishing for an automatic change.
Change takes work and a lot of patience. Generic as it sounds, it seems to be ignored for the craving of instant gratification in our culture.
Why try improving yourself when it takes work, right? If it can’t happen instantly, we may as well not waste our time.
As great as it would be to lose those extra pounds in two weeks without exercising or eating healthy, it is not going to happen. At least be realistic with your resolutions.
A lot of people seem to lose the inspiration to complete their goals because it requires hard work, determination and consistency.
This is why the life expectancies of resolutions hardly surpass a week, let alone an entire year.
The lack of motivation sparks my concern for our culture.
Are we so inert we can hardly accomplish the smallest of goals, or are we convinced improvements of varying magnitudes are insignificant to getting us through everyday life?
I also wonder if people go to the length of developing a New Year’s resolution, are they truly striving for a better year or are they merely jumping on the bandwagon of eager Facebook statuses to broadcast their resolution?
It is beginning to look as though people create basic resolutions for the purpose of showcasing their effort to society. It’s almost like saying, “Look at me while I appear to better myself by exercising for one day and smoking eight cigarettes as opposed to nine.”
People are habitually concerned with the way they look to others.
A person may want to appear as though they are environmentally conscious or look motivated to shed those extra pounds. In reality, they may be chowing down on Doritos and throwing this newspaper and the empty bag out of their car window.
I am all for self-improvement and healthy living, but when people only commit to such goals for only a week or month, I begin to lose faith in their ability to reach their goal.
The resolution to lose weight can be an overwhelming challenge, as can be the desire to quit smoking, improve finances and most other long-term goals.
These goals are attainable but can be difficult when jumped into without managing the amount of time and energy needed to overcome these obstacles.
With the absence of plans and time-management, the simplest of resolutions can begin to look suffocating.
I wish the pressure of beginning a new year with resolutions would go away. It seems we are just out of luck if we fail our resolution early in the year.
If I had slipped up and ate a doughnut during my quest to lose weight, would it imply I should give up until next year and indulge in as many doughnuts as I want until 2012?
Resolutions are able to be created and restarted at any time.
We do not need an excuse like a new year to enable us to improve or alter our current situations.
Those who make realistic, specific and timely goals for themselves have the best chance of being victorious in the long run, with or without it being a new year.
By COURTNEY MCKINLEY
Profiles Editor
comckinl@ius.edu