If you can’t seem to follow through, you’re not alone
One of the most classic (though admittedly not dire) dilemmas we face as a society is the concept of the New Year’s resolution. We’re all having a grand old time leading up to the New Year, joining family and friends for the holidays. Then, bam! Right after the jolly Christmas season comes to an end, all this pressure to get in shape, wake up early and drink more water is rocketed at us. It’s as if we think the clock striking midnight on December 31st will magically transform us into new people who will embrace new habits and drastic change.
Personally, I’ve always found this pressure to be entirely overwhelming and often unrealistic. It’s bad enough that early January brings around a whole new semester of classes, not to mention frosty temperatures and bleak cloudy days. But finding a whole “New year, new me” on top of that? Every year, it seems almost impossible.
However, I am a very goal oriented person. I enjoy crossing tasks off my to-do list, and so I have always wanted to be one of these magical people who seems to crush their New Year’s resolutions with ease every January. This year, I knew there had to be a way to embrace my ambition in the goal-setting arena without falling victim to the resolution mentality that had failed me so many years before.
The other day, as I was scrolling through TikTok, a particularly interesting video caught my eye. The creator of the video was describing the idea of setting resolutions in the spring, rather than the New Year. She said it always worked much better as a time frame than the middle of the winter. This got me thinking… what about January 1st is really the “new year”?
If we sit and think about it, in Wisconsin, January 1st falls during cloudy, gray and cold weather. Not the time we feel like branching out in our lives; instead, it is a time of hibernation and rest. It takes more out of us to live our daily lives in the dreary slogs of winter, so it is perfectly reasonable that brand new routines and goals are just slightly out of reach.
Think, on the other hand, about the spring time in Wisconsin. The sun starts peeking out a little more, there is green grass poking through melting slush and birds chirp in the crisp morning air. Little baby animals are born in the spring and plants sprout new leaves and flowers. In short, spring is the time of rebirth and renewal. Spring carries an air of change, but more specifically, growth.
A New Year’s resolution is by no means a “bad idea”. Trying to better yourself is an admirable venture which can certainly take place on January 1st, if that date holds meaning and motivation for you. But for those of us who struggle to find inspiration in the austere frigidity of the winter months, perhaps a springtime resolution is a more welcoming goal.