It was a summer day back in 2023. I had gone to the gym for the first time and I was excited to start going consistently. I planned out a plan to go six days a week, and ever since that first day, I have loved it. Of course, there have been days where I didn’t feel like going, but I always went anyway because I knew the rewards would be worth it. However, when the new year began, I noticed a large influx of people who came and then just decided to leave after only a few sessions.
After two weeks or so, I started to wonder what was causing people to not stick with their resolutions. Is this whole idea of New Year’s resolutions just stupid and not a good motivator?
The new year has begun and one common trend is the New Year’s resolution. People will use these resolutions to motivate themselves to make changes in their lives–for example, going to the gym more. However, this doesn’t work most of the time. There is a difference between motivation and discipline–motivation is temporary, and discipline is not.
If someone is going to do something, they shouldn’t wait until a certain day of the year. That’s lazy and means they will be less likely to stick with it. To stick with something, a person needs to meet their goal even on the days they don’t want to. That’s discipline. For example, take people who get a gym membership on January 1st. I have seen firsthand how people will get a membership, but then quit after just a few short weeks after the high of starting something new has gone. Of course, there will be people who do stick with their resolutions, but according to CBS News, only 25% of people stick with their New Year’s resolutions after just the first 30 days of the new year. That’s an insanely low number.
During the fall, someone might be thinking to themselves: “I want to try something new. How about trying running? But I don’t have to start now. I can just wait until the new year and I will commit then!” But this just doesn’t make sense. If the idea of trying something new comes to mind, start now. Don’t wait.
The intent behind New Year’s resolutions is understandable, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for laziness. A lot of New Year’s resolutions are hard. Obstacles will be there, but it is important to get through it and understand something will be difficult before starting and committing to it.
