How About Your New Year Resolution?

The January of 2024 ends today and I can’t but imagine that, for many people, all that energy, zeal and excitement that inspired a new decision to do things differently starting from the first day of the year would have petered out. I’m talking about our new year resolutions. How about yours? Are you still resolute about the resolution or is your resolve wobbling or completely dead?

All these are possibilities for everyone. I don’t know what yours is. But the risk in new year resolutions is that human energy and motivation level isn’t constant. It’s always subject to fluctuations; at some point it soars in high waves and at other times it falls very low, depending on the prevailing circumstances which we may be aware of or not. Therefore, it is often hard to ride through the length of the year (till December) buzzing with the same level of energy and optimism that inspired a new year resolution in January. This is the tragic story of new year resolutions.

There is always a psychological boost that comes whenever life presents us with what looks like a new opportunity to do things better. Think of when you first entered secondary school or higher institution with all the accompanying renewal of energy and optimism to study harder and become a much better student. Think of the rush of new energy that grips you when you enter a new career (especially a dream one after a long time of wait) or start a new business after previous failed enterprises. That is what happens with new year resolutions as a new calendar gives us a fresh mental boost to be a better version of ourselves.

But there also lies the risk. A calendar year is quite a long haul; the farther a journey the greater the risk that one will stumble and fall along the way, with such an incident potentially posing a serious risk to one’s morale and resolve. This is exactly why many people hardly stick to their new year resolutions beyond the first few months of the year. People seem to bite more than they can chew.

The solution is to view life as a continuous succession of short and gradual steps instead of a long dash. Take it day-by-day. Every morning, appraise your performance of the previous day and plan how to make the new day better. Every new day provides an opportunity to be better. Take it step by step. Do not ask too much of yourself by burdening yourself with a 1, 000-metre race when you can begin to build up your stamina from 50 metres, 100 metres and so on.

Biting more than you can chew can do a deadly blow on your morale. You require all the morale to remain on track, do not harm your morale by being too ambitious with what you can achieve. This may be the reason your new year resolution for 2024 is already wobbling or have failed completely.

Be better everyday.

This is my meditation this midweek.

Henry Chigozie Duru, PhD, teaches journalism and mass communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria.