As the Times Square ball drops and the calendars are replaced, a deeply ingrained tradition comes into effect in households across the country, a practice that is widely discussed, commonly broken, and sometimes ignored. In the last weeks of the year, its practitioners evaluate their lives, search for a problem, and resolve that it shall end s they proclaim a New Year’s Resolution.

At least… until they see another piece of cake. The sweat builds, the temptation mounts, and the resolution lasts a grand total of five minutes.

The fact that this is such a common occurrence is genuinely frightening. People have this temporary motivation to improve, to kick something out of their lives, and all too often, they give up, letting the problem beat the attempt to address it.

Yet, this practice of evaluating the year has been in place for quite a while. Civilizations such as Greece and Rome had practices of making resolutions as they celebrated the new year, and the practice has diffused into the modern world. New Year’s, despite differing calendar dates, is something observed throughout the world, with the resolution being a popular portion.

However, oftentimes, it is simply not taken seriously. Instead of truly considering how they can make their lives better, it seems to be that many people either make a resolution just for the sake of making a resolution or make a resolution without planning on how to uphold it. When the resolution fails to fix an issue, a chance for self-improvement is lost.

In order to succeed, the resolution should be about something that matters. This process is part of an annual time of reflection, so it is an ideal time to think about things to repair in life, which is probably why the tradition exists in the first place. It is an opportunity that should not be wasted with a nominal resolution that doesn’t make any impact on life, so something should be fixed that needs fixing.

If the resolution cannot be followed, however, than the process again fails to change a life, which is why actually planning on how to keep the resolution is vital. It is counterproductive to, say, give up smoking only to continue to buy a pack of cigarettes a day, for they still act as a temptation that can cause the initial will that made the resolution to break. A resolution is a personal commitment to change one’s life, and if it is going to last, it must be supported by action.

If one is going to make a resolution for self-improvement, doesn’t it make sense that the resolution be important and still be in effect five minutes after its inception? After all, New Year’s Day, that famous celebration of both remembering the past year and anticipating the new one, only comes around once a year. As such, it is an ideal time to remember the reflective resolution. Don’t waste it.