Why New Year’s Resolutions don’t work

by Dec 29, 2019Inspiration, Making changes

New Year’s Resolutions. Ugh.

Christmas is over so now it must be time for all that New Year, New You crap. It’s relentless. Does anyone else need a rest first, or is it just me?!

If you REALLY want things to change in the new year do yourself a big favour and take some time to think about it properly. Don’t just blunder on and come up with a handful of New Year’s Resolutions to attempt to get yourself to do the things you think you SHOULD do to make the new year better than the old year.

I hate New Year’s Resolutions. Can you tell? 🤣

Firstly because you can choose to change things any time you like, secondly because right after Christmas when the days are dull and dreary and there’s nothing to look forward to isn’t the most motivating time to start trying to change things, and thirdly because New Year’s Resolutions are nearly always what you think you should do rather than what you want to do so is it any surprise that by the third week in January you’ve given up?!

If you’re in the northern hemisphere look around you. Nature is quiet, taking stock, gathering itself and preparing to burst forth come the Spring. There’s no manic sense of urgency. Everything will happen in good time.

After the frenzy that is the run up to Christmas and the over-indulgence that is the celebration itself, as humans WE need some quiet time to take stock and gather ourselves too. It is simply not necessary to dash straight on into the new year barely drawing a breath.

You do NOT need to have all your ducks in a row, new good habits lined up ready to begin and goals for the year set and planned for so you can be out of the starting blocks and taking action on January 1st.

Our society is on speed. Media is constantly coaxing us to be on to the next thing, then the next, no let up, bam, bam, bam. This is simply a marketing construct! It is not who we are. It doesn’t do us any good.

Yes, a new year is a fresh start, a clean slate. It feels like a good time to make some changes. It’s laden with optimism. ENJOY that feeling and make the most of it. Dream your dreams and be open to limitless possibilities.

You can’t do that without pausing to think.

If you want to get to the end of 2020 with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, the most valuable thing you can do for yourself is to give yourself the gift of time NOW.

There are 12 months of 2020 to look forward to. You can achieve a hell of a lot in 12 months. But not if you dive in half-cocked and don’t prepare properly. When you do that, you find yourself going after those pesky SHOULDs, quickly lose momentum because of that, wind up back where you started and before you know it the end of the year is looming and you’re still mired in the status quo.

Taking a couple of weeks to think, ponder, make yourself a priority and get really clear on what you want and why, means that when you’ve laid out your plans and start acting on them you’re going after the right things in the right way that are meaningful to you, which helps no end to keep your momentum going. That’s two weeks very well spent, leaving you 50 to crack on.

P.S. If you know someone else who would like to slow down and draw breath for 2020, please share this with them. x