Why I’m Ditching New Year’s Resolutions

First of all, Happy New Year (and decade) to all you lovely people. I hope it brings you nothing but joy and happiness, and health. I’m here to talk to you about a very popular part of this time of year – New Year’s Resolutions.

This post was maybe a better idea for before we’d rung in the New Year, but I needed a break with all the celebrations that were going on, so it wasn’t ready until now.

New year’s resolutions are so popular, and I have nothing against anyone who has decided to make some this year (if you have please do share them in the comments below), but they are just not for me.

Whether it be to lose weight, or learn to play an instrument, to visit certain places or read a certain number of books. This year (and last year actually) I have moved away from the typical goals for the year and done something a bit different instead.

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Why I’m Ditching New Year’s Resolutions

The problem with resolutions, or goals, is that it feels like you’re just setting yourself up for failure. It’s great at the beginning of the year, when you are motivated and determined. You do something every day in order to achieve your goals and things all seem to be going well.

Then fast forward 11 months. We are nearly at the beginning of a new year, and everyone is looking back on their accomplishments. Social media is full of people posting pictures and statuses celebrating everything they have achieved, and you are left with a list of things that you never managed to do.

It’s heart-breaking, it’s defeating. And I am just a bit tired of ending the year feeling like I’ve wasted yet another one, and that my life is going nowhere.

No one knows what each year will truly bring, and I’d rather take it as it comes so at the end I have a list of things that happened to me that I’m happy about (even if that list only has one thing on it).

Intentions not New Year’s Resolutions.

I’m not completely ditching the goals though, I’m just using them a different way.

Instead of New Year’s resolutions, I set New Year’s intentions. Instead of a list of goals with a definite ending point, a point at which you can say you’ve achieved it, they are things I can work towards indefinitely. There are no boundaries specified, there is no end goal, I achieve them just by doing them.

For example, I know a very common resolution is to lose weight, which just never works out (for me anyway). I say I’ll be thinner or lose a certain amount of weight and I never manage it, and just end up feeling crap after it. It ruins any chance of body positivity I have, it just fuels the hate fire (and trust me, it doesn’t need any help).

Not only is this not a goal I want to have any more, because we shouldn’t be placing our value on our size or placing our happiness on how thin we are (but I’ll talk about that more another time), but it’s not something that brings me any joy out of doing. Goals can often be motivating, that’s why they exist, but working towards weightloss just feels impossible. It feels like a losing game.

So my intention for this year is to work towards being healthier, mentally and physically. This last year I’ve done a few things that have helped me to be healthier, which I am planning to continue this coming year. The main point of doing it this way is that I haven’t come into 2020 feeling crap about the fact that I’m still the same dress I was last year. And I personally see that as a huge plus.

What will you do?

You may read this and think it’s a complete load of rubbish. You may find having goals really helpful and motivating, and like having that direction for the New Year. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

You do you, and if that means New Year’s resolutions, do it!

Have you made any resolutions or intentions this year? If so, feel free to comment below!

If you liked this post you may also like to read my latest post all about the funny things I do because of Brain Fog.