It’s the New Year, which coincidentally is the same time of year everyone vows to better themselves by traditionally setting New Year’s resolutions. But what if this time you forgot about setting them altogether and were still successful, especially when it comes to feeling good about yourself?
Feeling good is the goal of setting resolutions anyways, and in fact, isn’t one you strive for just once a year but every single day, whether you realize it or not. It’s why you eat, workout, find a new job, dump your spouse, or do anything else that you suspect will make you feel happier and more content.
Setting New Year’s resolutions in and of itself is no guarantee that all your dreams will suddenly materialize or that you’ll instantly lose 50 pounds, despite what it promises to do for you. In fact, many people just feel worse about themselves because they wind up not following through on them, making them feel like a failure over not just not accomplishing them but everything else too!
To the contrary, here are 17 bold reasons to forget about setting New Year’s resolutions that will make you feel good anyways, and ironically, still get life-changing results this year.
1. They don’t do any good anyways. Think about it. If setting New Year’s resolutions was the catalyst to lasting change, why would you only do it once a year? Your will and desires change all the time, and aren’t subject to one fleeting moment in time, so they really just don’t make any sense.
2. When you fail at following through on them, you will feel bad about yourself, plain and simple. So why do it and disappoint yourself? (FYI: 99% of the time people fail at keeping them!).
3. Any resolution you make that involves money could require a financial commitment you won’t follow through on and therefore, you’ll lose money.
4. It’s much more freeing, and healthier, to allow yourself the liberty of just going with the flow. When you set rules, you’re more bound to break them.
5. If you’re trying to lose weight, and set a goal to go to the gym more often, start a new diet, etc., it’s a losing strategy, because dieting and over-exercising only works for 1% of the population, and that’s only after they’ve overcome emotional eating.
6. Face it. You’re not an Olympic athlete, so quit trying to be one. Running a 5k is for serious athletes only, or those who’ve pretty much been athletes their entire lives. Unless that’s you, stop trying to be someone you’re not. Set a more realistic goal, or resolution, one you know you’re capable of, like walking 10 minutes a day.
7. If you’re already really stressed out, adding more to your plate will only stress you out more, and you’ll never do it. Work on accomplishing what you already know you have to do, then add more when you can.
8. If you have to set a resolution to do something you’re not already doing, it’s likely it’s not something you want to do. Give yourself a break and let it go.
9. Setting resolutions to try and impress people is a weak premise and it won’t last. You’re a powerhouse enough as it is. No need to prove it to anybody. People see what you’re made of just by what you do every day. That’s impressive enough.
10. Resolutions aren’t very fun. Unless it’s something you absolutely love to do, you’ll resist doing it, which is the totally wrong energy you want to be in when you’re trying to change something about your life that you don’t like. Therefore, they’re effectively ineffective.
11. The only resolutions you’ll ever truly achieve are ones you look forward to, like getting a new puppy or finding the love of your life, so if you do make them, make them ones that don’t feel forced or strenuous.
12. Not everywhere in the world follows the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions, so why should you? It’s not a requirement you know!
13. Setting New Year’s resolutions can be depressing if you don’t think you’re really going to accomplish them. Spare yourself the feelings and skip it.
14. There are a lot of other ways to resolve to change your life, including hiring a life coach, mentor or just going to counseling. Give one of those a try instead!
15. Any resolution you dread is bound to fail. Human beings are by design programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so it defies logic to do anything but, so unless you approach breaking bad habits – hence making New Year’s resolutions – from that point of view, it’s pointless.
16. It doesn’t make you any better in the eyes of God whether you do or don’t, so from that vantage point, it doesn’t give any real edge.
17. In essence, it’s an outdated tradition. Enough said.
While goal-setting is still in and still effective, it doesn’t always coincide with New Year’s, and shouldn’t. There’s a whole year ahead of you and with things always changing, restricting yourself to one specific time of year to embark on new beginnings is restrictive and old school.
Nothing natural is forced or planned, and neither should be the very things that define who you are or make up the core of your being. Let things be for once, and watch your life take form right before your very eyes, naturally.
