Elliot Mercier

January is known for a few things: It’s the month that comes after December and before February; it’s the earliest warning sign that this winter isn’t going to be any better than the last one; and it’s the start of a new year and new beginnings. This last part is so endemic to January, it’s the reason why New Year’s resolutions are so popular. It’s also the same reason that local gyms get 1,000 new members in the first week of the month before facing a steep decline the second week and then petering out to die completely before February.

According to Google, only 8 percent of individuals actually carry through with their resolutions. This is basically a search engine giving you the “I’m not mad, just disappointed” look. From what I’ve personally observed, there is actually a very good reason why no one seems reach these goals, even if the person involved is genuinely passionate about changing things.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: For my New Year’s resolution, I’m going to the gym every week, or I’m going to start eating healthier, or I’m going to start reading more, or I’m going to start saving money. You notice one thing that’s similar in all of these statements? They’re very vague. Even having a goal of just losing a few pounds is too open to interpretation. How are you going about this? What diet are you going on besides the “less junk food in my life” one? When you’re aspiring to work out, what are you gunning for? Are you going to tone your thighs? Increase your bicep size? What’s your plan? Whether you want to believe it or not, you need a detailed game plan.

Another issue is that these kinds of goals require lifestyle changes, an alteration in your schedule that will make the days post-resolution different, creating a new norm. You can’t go to the gym for one month, smile at the few extra millimeters in your bicep and call it quits for another month. That instant gratification could easily be replaced with depression as your results fade away and you’re back to the status quo you swore to despise weeks ago.

So what’s about resolutions at the end of the day? Well, you could just be happy with what you have and who you are. If you really want to pursue one, just keep in mind that it’s a process, and don’t feel bad just because you missed one trip to the gym or you indulged in that deliciously unhealthy chocolate cake. Life is complicated – there’s nothing wrong with having a day off every now and then.