New Year’s resolutions have lost their meaning

“New year, new me.”

It’s time to move on from this overused cliché: New Year’s resolutions have lost their value. What once prompted reinvention and improvement has become another excuse for a lack of motivation.

When midnight hits on Jan. 1, it’s normal to feel a sudden burst of energy, as if you’ve dialed into a completely new mindset. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is naive — change just doesn’t happen overnight.

Of course, self-improvement has to start somewhere, and there’s nothing wrong with marking the new year with a change. Social interaction is slowly returning to normal, and we can finally rebuild a healthy schedule outside our households.

Yet, the illusion of New Year’s is that such habits will carry on throughout the entire year. More often than not, there’s a surge of motivation during the first few days, followed by a return to past habits in the following weeks.

Take the gym, for example. I’ve personally noticed an influx of gym-goers during the first week of the new year, only for gym participation to crash soon after. Seven days of exercise isn’t going to do anything — consistency is key. 

Ultimately, impatience is the primary issue with New Year’s resolutions. We get so caught up in the idea of changing instantaneously that we neglect our pre-existing, long-lasting problems. Change isn’t a mere flick of the switch; it’s a slow, grueling process, and you have to commit to this journey every day.

To accomplish this, focus on taking small steps towards change. Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself: Don’t go over-the-top with any of your resolutions. If your plans derail at any point, don’t lose steam and abandon them completely. Even minor accomplishments can be extremely rewarding, so reassure yourself that sticking with it will eventually lead to rewarding results. 

New Year’s really is a great time to have a fresh start, but don’t let that blind you from the reality that change happens little by little, one step at a time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint — you’ve only just begun.