New Year, New Me?

New year, new beginnings, new resolutions.

I bet most of you have been getting these words at the beginning of every year. I admit I am also guilty when it comes to writing new year’s resolutions expecting to achieve those things on the first day of the first month. This tradition has been entrenched in us for so many years. But why do people wait for a new year to change?

At the beginning of last year, I decided to change for the better. I felt the urge to straighten up every aspect of my life. So I watched many YouTube videos about self-improvement and eventually penned my new year’s resolutions. I made sure to make my goals as realistic as possible. But when I finished writing them down, I got overwhelmed by a lot of things I need to achieve throughout the year. It gave me pressure and anxiety. When the year comes to an end, I accomplished at least half of them.

So what’s the point? Did it work? Is it a particular thing that everyone should take on?

Well, I can say that it worked for me, but I won’t say that it would work for everyone.

According to the study of the Professor & Chair of Psychology at the University of Scranton, John Norcross, of those people who write new year resolutions:

• 75% are successful after one week

• After two weeks, the rate drops to 71%

• After one month, the rate drops to 64%

• After six months, the rate drops to 46%

So it is just safe to say that almost half of the people who have new year’s resolutions achieve their goals by the end of the year.

But the question is: Is it really necessary to change when a new year starts?

For me, it is not.

Change is constant. The world is changing every time. It is not scheduled. It is not expected to arrive at a specific time and day. It is now.

I learned that change is not something you get overnight. It is a process where you have to sacrifice something to start something to gain something. It is not something you will get after you inhale the smoke of fireworks. It requires habit, consistency, and discipline.

Indeed, changing at the beginning of the year or the Fresh Start Effect helps us to be better throughout the year. But we do not have to wait until a new year comes. If you want to change, do it now.

If you are stuck in the middle of the Sahara desert, would you wait for someone to come and help you out? What if you wait and wait for days and months, and you realize it is already too late? No one’s coming and you’re dying from thirst. I guess if you’re stuck, you must learn to get your ass off and walk until you succeed. That time is now.