New Year resolutions have become a time-honored tradition, one that almost everybody participates in every year.  The viral corresponding slogan “New Year New Me” reflects the idea of using the start of the new year as a clean slate – an opportunity to cultivate new habits, grow personally, and redeem oneself. However, making and keeping resolutions is not always feasible as many people approach them with unrealistic expectations and a misguided mindset.

Before the start of 2024, I thought to myself that this was going to be THE year. I have so many milestones lodged in it, and that grew a desire to discover more hidden potentials within myself. Unfortunately, I was bound by the pattern of giving up after the first week, and it never quite favored me. I didn’t want history to repeat itself but I didn’t know what to do differently, so I decided to make just one resolution with all my hopes up, one that I was sure I was capable of.

This year’s resolution was to commit to a daily 20-minute workout routine. The whole idea is to cultivate a healthy lifestyle that stemmed from me trying to master discipline that I believe will serve me well in the long run. I have made a similar resolution in the past but never saw it through. After some soul searching, I discovered that I was trying to prove something to some imaginary person, unknowingly developing a rivalry between myself and the version of me that I wanted to become.

One thing to realize when setting a resolution is that you’re not in competition with anyone. Your aim shouldn’t be to outshine anybody, and that includes yourself. You should take pride in yourself for recognizing there are some parts of your life that need change, commend yourself for taking your first step, embrace every phase and evolving version of yourself that it will take to get there, and celebrate every single progress you make. This is what makes resolutions easier to accomplish. 

I don’t believe setting a resolution is about becoming a new person, that’s where most of us get it wrong. We want change, one that is instant; in the blink of an eye, and when we don’t get it, we give up thinking we aren’t trying hard enough. Change is constant, true, but it’s also very slow. If you really want to see a difference, you must learn to be patient and consistent, change is a process, not a phenomenon. Push yourself hard but also go easy, setting a resolution is all about improving, becoming better than you are, that’s what you should aim for.

I’m making more resolutions for myself and I’m proud of myself for it. It doesn’t have to be a new year for you to make one because every dawning day is an opportunity to be a better version of yourself.