Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer
As we kiss 2023 goodbye and look toward the new year, the resolutions we promise to hold ourselves to fade as quickly as they came.
These resolutions come in different forms, from practicing better studying habits to committing to going to FIU wellness and recreation center.
No matter what wishes we make as we eat the 12 grapes in our cup as the clock ticks down to midnight, more than half are forgotten about by the end of Feb.
These goals are rendered useless because of the short-term gains aspect of completing a goal.
We love creating goals that could ultimately change the bad habits we have obtained throughout the year but it’s easier said than done.
The problem is we end up creating resolutions that give us instant gratification and don’t plan for how we’re going to accomplish these goals in the long run.
I know we love getting that dopamine hit, but what happens if that same energy fizzles out as the year goes on?
Most of us are all too familiar with this vicious cycle we subject ourselves to, but there is a way out of it.
The best way to avoid this issue is by carefully planning how we’re going to execute our resolutions. Breaking down long term goals into increments between each month of the year and keeping track of our progress are one of the first steps to take.
Another thing I have seen with New Year’s resolutions is at the end of every year, they become a trending topic on social media.
We scroll through our feeds and see people talking about what they’re going to do in the new year with “resolutions this” and “resolutions that”, which would inspire us to join in and talk about our resolutions.
Not only do we contribute to the conversation by posting about our resolutions, but we also multiply them for bragging rights and brownie points on our social media timeline.
It becomes less about sharing our goals for the new year and more about a competition to see who has the most interesting New Year’s resolutions planned out.
It drives social media engagement and we get thousands of views and likes from strangers online at the cost of creating impersonal goals that don’t reflect our individual personalities just for the sake of saying “I’m doing that too”.
In the digital world we live in, it can be very easy to get wrapped up into the basic resolutions that everyone else is doing so we won’t feel like we’re doing it alone, but where’s the fun in that?
Create resolutions that resonate with you. Don’t be afraid to make resolutions that not everyone else is making. It becomes much easier to accomplish them because we’re interested in the subject of those resolutions.
So look back on your New Year’s resolutions and make sure you’re doing them for the right reasons, as a short-term plan and social media traction won’t be enough to accomplish them.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
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