Something that I have always found curious is the concept of New Years resolutions. Every January first it is customary for people to have at least on resolution in their head that they plan to do in the year to come that will help them better themselves in some way, shape, or form. My question is why New Year's? Why do people need to have a certain day on which they plan to do something to make them feel better about themselves? In my opinion, if someone feels like they need improvement in their lives they should just do it. There is no need for a particular date to start doing something good and new.
I also think that they are often not taken very seriously. Why bother to make a resolution if in a couple weeks it will be either forgotten or ignored? The whole concept just seems superfluous to me. If I am serious about making a change in my life I will do it at the time that I see necessary and continue to keep up with it.
I have never made a New Year's resolution that I have kept. Also, I have never made a New Year's resolution that would have changed me for the better. Actually, the only ones I have made are giving up chocolate and ice cream before bed and that just made me cranky because I could not sleep without my before-bed snack. I do not know what the big deal with resolutions is either. I really wonder how they even began, and why they even began.
ReplyDeleteI have never truly understood the concept of New Year's resolutions either. I believe people have this idea that they need to make some changes in their lives before each new year begins. People may possibly feel the need for resolutions to motivate themselves. I do agree with Lindsey when it comes to making changes in my life. If someone really wants to make a change, then make the effort when the time is right, not when everyone feels it is tradition to set the standards for changes in his or her life. Many people do not keep their resolutions or forget them soon after. I am one of those people to have forgotten my resolutions; therefore, I now make resolutions I make each day. I always strive to do my best and try to improve aspects of myself that hinder my work or experiences. As long as I try, I always keep my resolutions. I believe these types of resolutions are much easier to keep, and do not need to be made on New Year's. Others may continue to make difficult resolutions that take much effort to keep, so I continue to wonder why people even bother making resolutions when they know they will quickly cease efforts to achieve them.
ReplyDeleteI think New Year's resolutions are pointless because like you have said no one takes them seriously. The resolutions that I hear constantly are about losing weight by exercise or some other physical body improvement. I think that if you are deciding to make a resolution for the new year to begin with it should have some impact on society in a good way. However even if someone agreed to do that, it wouldn't last long because as soon as it got difficult or it was convenient to stop, then they do. It shouldnt be called New Year's resolution but a whim resolution, because that is about how long they last.
ReplyDeleteNew Year's resolutions might just be the most pointless thing man has ever thought of. They are just things people tell themselves to make themselves feel better about the new year and how they try to make it different as they try to change. You don't even need New Years to make a resolution. Someone can make a new resolution on any given day, and it's not like someone will follow it anyway. That's more of the reason I don't agree with New Year's resolutions; it's because people don't even follow through with them. If people did, then maybe there would be a good reason for them.
ReplyDeleteOK, I gotta say something. None of you need resolutions, because this next 4 years (at the least) is all set out for you. You even know what you will win at the end. But when you get as many years under your belt as I have, you find yourself wanting to do something special with each 12 month period, or even erasing any regrets over failures. And the kind of stuff I want to accomplish requires 1)planning and 2) big effort. It just does not seem to happen on its own. So.....I am jealous that you do not have regrets. I wish I did not have to undo mine!
ReplyDeleteI think New Year's resolutions are a good thing. Sometimes people abuse them by imagining that New Years is an opportunity to become a whole new person, which is both unrealistic and ultimately undesirable. Although people are free to make resolutions any day of the year (which happens regularly), New Year's is a great time for people to forgive themselves for the past and try to move on. Although we all know that one's ability to improve in any single area does not physically change on New Year's, it is still a chance to reflect on how we can better ourselves, which is kind of a big part of life, don't you think? Why shouldn't it get its own holiday?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Lindsey. Why bother if you give up or forget a month later? It's funny seeing all the new year's resolution people at the gym and then not seeing them a few weeks later. It never lasts. If you are actually going to accomplish something you don't need New Years to motivate you. They would be great if people followed through with them. However, setting a new year's resolution is kind of a joke now.
ReplyDeleteok this is not related to your post, but you have got to go to nina paley's blog and see how she is transforming her animation skills to her next project. what she has accomplished in 3 weeks is astounding. http://blog.ninapaley.com/
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