It’s that time of the year again, the leaves are turning, there is a chill in the wind, and we are about to turn to the last page on our calendars. As much as we cherish this season, we also cherish what it has come to signify for most of us – a chance to reboot our lives as we begin the new year afresh. The new year has always been symbolic of a fresh start. For decades, we have been celebrating its arrival and the previous year’s departure, with a lot of pomp and vigor. A crucial part of this tradition is setting new goals or targets for ourselves that we want to achieve in that new year, you might know these as – the new year resolutions. Yes, those, the ones you make every 31st of December and conveniently forget by the first week of January (or maybe much sooner). The only time you do remember them is when it’s time to make new resolutions again and you realize that you never achieved the previous ones and a feeling of dread and guilt sets in. This cycle repeats itself every year.
This year, we are suggesting an exciting idea for your new year resolutions and that is – to ditch them. Yes, you read that correctly, we are asking you to throw that list out the window and here are our reasons for asking you to do so:
1. You Cannot Jumpstart Your Life
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You need to realize that the idea that you can suddenly give up your earlier ways or leave behind bad habits, come January 1st, is highly unrealistic. You are essentially telling yourself no matter what you tolerated in the past, with the strike of the midnight, those attitudes would change completely. So from eating junk all year, you would suddenly switch to healthier options, just like that, with the ticking of the clock. This self-imposed artificial deadline is not an actual organic reason for you to make that change. It’s no surprise that those resolutions don’t stay for long.
2. You Are Setting Yourself Up To Fail
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Yes, the concept of new year resolutions is inherently flawed. First off, you randomly assign yourself a goal or a target. There is no motivation or well-thought plan behind them rather their origin lies in an impulse. Besides, goals such as trying to achieve a perfect body or trying to achieve a work-life balance are enormous and ambiguous. They are not bite-sized goals that you can achieve easily. In order to achieve them, you need a plan and not a random deadline. So you see, these resemble the myth of Sisyphus, wherein you push the boulder up the mountain only for it to roll down again.
3. You Are Creating An Unnecessary Pressure
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I have to say this, all of us out here are trying our best to make the most of our individual situations. In this fast-paced, demanding life, stress is never too far away.
Amidst all of this, why would you want to add additional pressure to your already complicated life? Sounds highly illogical, right? But this is exactly what these resolutions do. They set up an impossibly high standard for you to achieve, and when you aren’t able to that, you are left feeling guilty and inadequate. All the more reason for you to bid farewell to that resolution list.
4. Resolutions Are Not Tangible Markers Of Growth
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As we grow older, we introspect more, constantly questioning whether or not we have achieved what we set out to do at the beginning of our adult life. It is a very natural impulse, but using your new year resolutions to measure this progress or growth is going to lead you down the wrong path. Growth is a natural, fluid process. You are always learning, growing, and changing as a person. To set such an inflexible yardstick for measuring your growth would be self-defeating. It will end up making you more miserable, and you won’t even notice the tiny strides you might have made towards your larger life goals.
5. Your Resolutions Are Not Your Milestones
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A lot of us conflate the idea of new year resolutions with actual milestones of our life.
You have to realize that it is not so, for when it comes to milestones like getting pregnant, getting a promotion, or getting a boyfriend/girlfriend, etc., they are not in your control. You cannot predict their timeline because they are influenced by a lot of outside factors. It’s better to have the Que sera sera (what will be, will be) attitude when it comes to these major milestones in your life.
This coming new year, enter it with a fresh and relaxed mind. Do not put the unnecessary pressure of those pesky new year resolutions on yourself. Rather, enjoy your new year with no stress and when it comes to making efforts for self-improvement, go with the flow. Take each day as it comes, after all, it is your life, you can take as much time as you want to chart your own course. Do you feel the same way about the new year resolutions? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The post New Rules: 5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Your Resolutions Right Now appeared first on STYLECRAZE.