Ah, resolutions. They will forever give us room for change, positivity and new beginnings to keep us on our toes. Thanks to New Year’s Day, we welcome motivation to uplift our quality of life through hope and, ultimately, our newly-made resolutions. Regardless, many consider them to be unavailing and even insincere; however, the delight in resolution-making is much more valuable than any result. 

We identify time through many methods. We measure it by season, by century, but most importantly by year. We record all the ages of the earth in years as a base unit, which is why the “new year” concept makes sense. More than any time in the world, the new year brings a new dawn. It gives people the opportunity to gather the motivation required to devote to their goals. Especially due to the time provided from Christmas break, New Year’s is the best period to build up your strength, create your game plan and put in the work for your resolution. Sure, we could find any time of the year to dedicate to our goals, but selecting New Year’s Day as our starting line better prepares us for the endeavors ahead. 

New Year’s resolutions invite a time for self-awareness. Where we may have lost track of our flaws in the past, we can assess ourselves as a whole and discover where we can improve before the new year. It’s approaching New Year’s day when many of us realize we must alter our mindsets, cut out a harmful habit or introduce a healthy one. It provides us motivation to learn new things and pick up held-off projects. Preparing our mentality for change comes naturally as we approach New Year’s Day, and the celebration of putting the past aside is what makes New Year’s Eve such a hopeful, joyous experience. 

Above all else, resolutions reinstate the vision of our desired future. During our time scrolling through social media, and most of us do, we come across many people and lifestyles that encourage us to change. While it’s crucial to acknowledge the glamorization behind most social media posts, it’s still valuable to witness the healthier lifestyles we hope to adopt. Among the days leading up to New Year’s Day, millions of individuals pull inspiration from numerous sources so that they may apply them to their New Year’s resolutions. Approaching the new year, we determine where we wish to direct our lives and reclaim our long-forgotten ambitions. 

There has to be a downside to resolution-making, right? Unfortunately, our resolution-breaking is largely unavoidable, so goes the stereotype. This doesn’t mean resolutions don’t work out for some people; many successfully convert their lives because they diligently stick to their resolutions, go them. However the controversy on whether New Year’s resolutions are a no or go is not decided by their success rates, but on whether they either inspire change or bring happiness to the world. Some will argue resolutions breed procrastination, discouragement and disappointment, however, I believe they foster hope in great abundance. The incredible thing about hope is its outreach. Across the globe, people gather their glasses for bubbly beverages and watch the ball drop in celebration of new beginnings and hope for the new year. Why we’d deter from such optimism and festivity I could never comprehend. 

It’s beautiful that humanity chooses to see opportunity rather than adversity. It’s awe-inspiring that we choose to march into our battles and rewrite our wild lives. So long as the ring of opportunity remains associated with the promise of resolutions, I will always have a joyous new year.

With hope, I say we seize the season and begin again.