New Year’s Resolutions: Support the Self-Improvement

New Years Resolutions: Support the Self-Improvement

Moreen McGrath, Copy Editor

I feel as though I am constantly opposing the trends I see on social media, but it is difficult to not do so in response to the widespread negativity perpetuated by the media and social media alike. In the wake of the new year, it is more common to see individuals complaining about “New year, new me,” tweets than it is to actually see the tweets with such messages. We complain about the New Year’s resolutions individuals make and argue, “Why should we not just make a change at any time? Why should we only change in the new year?”

Of course, the rationale behind their argument is logical. If you want to make a change for the better, why wait until the new year to do so? Just resolve to begin when the thought occurs to you and start to make the alterations you want to make for yourself. It sounds easy, but making fundamental changes to one’s life often proves to be a daunting task. Some feel that by doing so they are alienating themselves from the lives they currently live, and others worry that their new behaviours or outlooks will be perceived as fake or contrived. In a world which judges so flippantly, such fears can prove debilitating.

The beginning of a new year in many ways alleviates some of these stressors. The new year is a new beginning, and it is much easier to begin doing something when there is no fear of already being behind in the effort to do so. Also, though they are criticized so much, society as a whole understands the concept of an unspoken New Year’s resolution whereas a resolution made in the middle of the year which goes unannounced could lead to confusion in regard to the newfound behaviour of the individual in question. Additionally, there are many benefits to beginning anew at the start of the new year. Gym memberships cost less and sporting gear typically goes on sale around this time, thus making it more economical to make such resolutions at this time of year.

So why do we bash on the New Year’s resolution? I believe that we do so out of jealousy. Often times, there are attributes about ourselves which we’d like to change, but we feel unable to do so for one reason or another. The New Year’s resolution forces individuals into action in some way in order to achieve their goals, while we remain stagnant in our wishes. In order to cope with our frustrations, we seek to impede the efforts of others, albeit often subconsciously.

In the future, we should seek to support the trend of self-improvement rather than immediately tearing the idea apart. It is brave to seek to change something about yourself, especially when it is something you have lived with for so long. Efforts to do so should not be dismissed. Rather, we should encourage those around us looking to improve their own lives. For our next New Year’s celebration, we should all resolve to be positive about the promise of improvement rather than berating others for their ambitions.