As the clock ticks down to midnight on Jan. 1, people prepare their New Year’s resolutions with decorative glasses and confetti poppers in hand. Ryan Seacrest begins to count down from 10 as the ball drops. Various goals to better oneself—get more exercise, improve study habits, start a diet, get more sleep—are scratched onto paper with the hopes of looking back this time next year as a new person. The same phrase is repeated worldwide: New year, new me.
People see the start of a new year as a time to change themselves for the better. Kids and adults alike seek to improve their health, mentality, social skills and grades. But people shouldn’t put pressure on themselves trying to reinvent their lives, especially in a short period of time. Instead, they should embrace the past year’s accomplishments. We should be proud of everything we have done and work to channel the same positive energy from the past year into the next one.
If people see the start of a new calendar year as a time to completely change themselves, this cycle will never end. Year after year, the person inside of you changes completely, and it is impossible to ever be fully content with yourself.
This does not go to say that people should not work to improve themselves; change can be good. But piling it all into one day, Jan. 1, puts pressure to completely neglect your past self. We need to remember that change is not a straight path, and allowing ourselves time to grow will be beneficial. The time of reflecting on the past year’s accomplishments with nostalgia shouldn’t immediately end at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, but should continue with you as you learn from past experiences. Similarly, your time to improve and work on your mistakes shouldn’t be forced into such a short time frame. Oftentimes, instead of celebrating the successes—the good grades, health, happiness, promotion, goal weight—many are still harsh on themselves, just creating another list of picky details about their personality, appearance or habits that are next to be “fixed.” People should allow themselves time to be proud of all of their accomplishments and not completely neglect their past in the search for new goals heading into the next 365 days.
“New year, new me” creates a toxic mindset that forces people to completely change and reinvent themselves each January. This takes away from the intended purpose of goal-setting. Instead of harping on flaws, one should reflect on their past achievements, be proud of everything they have done and better themselves in moderation as they see fit over the course of the year.
