By Penny Theodorakopoulou,
Happy New Year! The first 10 days have passed and –surprisingly— nothing too out of the ordinary has taken place. Yes, COVID–19 is still here, but the 2022’s holidays were the first ones that we lived and celebrated as if the virus were not there. For a couple of weeks, we tried to have as much fun and relax as we could so we could welcome 2023 in a good mood.
Along with a variety of customs and traditions around the world, one “habit” a plethora of people do when the new year comes is write down on a piece of paper or a notebook their goals for the year; the so-called “New Year’s resolutions”. If a person completes a goal that is written down, they “scratch” it out getting onto the next one. The goal is to complete all of the objectives you have set for the year.
I admit it: I, too, used to make a New Year’s resolutions list when I was a teenager. I thought that by writing down the things I wanted to achieve that year, I would be able to do all of them, and without breaking much sweat. And, truth be told, I did do some of the goals I had set for the year. The truth is: was it the list or my determination?
A lot of research has proven that by seeing your goals every day, the possibilities of you actually making those goals come true are increased by at least 30% because you try to somehow visualize the goals, as well as that piece of paper is a constant reminder of what you ought to do in order to improve yourself within a year, so you can feel happy with yourself.
On the other hand, there is an abundance of people that claim that it is not the “list” that motivates you: it is you and only you. You motivate yourself to keep pushing whenever you are having a hard time trying to complete a goal you have set. You are responsible for your own happiness, be it with or without having written down your goals. As long as they are on your mind and you have truly decided to achieve them, you are very much likely to do so.
As far as I am concerned, the truth is somewhere in-between. You do not need a constant reminder of your goals, you are certain of them the moment you thought of them and decided to do something about them. If perhaps you want to study more books this year, if you have made up your mind, you will most likely do it! However, there are a lot of people who give up even moments after writing down their goals. The reason is quite simple: lack of determination and self-control. Let us assume that one wishes to cut off chocolate this year. If they fail from January 1, it is completely fine.
As this article comes to an end, I would like to say just this: no matter if you achieve your goals or not, remember to feel proud of yourself for even deciding to change a part of you that you personally do not like about yourself. Appreciating and respecting yourself always must come first, so if you really want a resolution for 2023, keep in mind to love yourself and to show that love whenever you can.
Happy New Year and may 2023 be your year, either you are a “new me” or a “same me”!
