So, how are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? There’s something called the “Fresh Start” perspective that we feel when a chronological turning point is reached, like the start of a new academic or calendar year. Many of us resolve to improve our lives and our lot in life as we embrace the chance of a “fresh start.” We may tell ourselves, “this year will be different.” But for how long will things really be different.
Well, research shows that around half the population makes resolutions, but most don’t stick with them as long as we promise ourselves that we will. Three quarters of us are sticking to our resolutions this first week into the new year. But in three months, less than half of us will still be plugging along on the quest for self-improvement.
A year is a really long time and trying to imagine sticking with something that long can feel impossible. Maybe we should make “new ourselves the chance to begin again every day, we aren’t looking at our better futures as being a high stakes make-or-break gamble on just one day.
Cut yourself some slack -- acknowledging that building up to major change through small, doable steps is the key to becoming better versions of ourselves over time. I may resolve to lose a few pounds this year, but indulging in a favorite treat after a particularly rough day shouldn’t translate to a sense of total failure in my quest. Tomorrow presents another opportunity for the fresh start I need.
I’m Suzanne Degges-White and that’s my perspective.
