New Year's Resolutions

[Miko]

It's still a few days till the end of January so this thread is okay, right?
Hi, I never make New Year's Resolutions. Mostly because I don't careBut this year I kinda care! And because I kinda care this year, I want to know:

How do you feel about New Year's Resolutions (positive or negative?)
Have you ever made a New Year's Resolution, and did you actually stick to it?
If you have one, what is your New Year's Resolution for 2020?


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Personally, I'm a bit neutral about setting a NYR. I think most of my personal goals I've set for myself, that I've actually been motivated to do, I just start right away or at the beginning of a month if I need time for whatever reason. I respect the 'New year new me' ideal though. Whatever works for you I suppose!

I've probably made resolutions in the past, but nothing that notably stuck.

This year I hope to start drinking more water, if not completely convert to strictly water. When I get stressed I tend to crave soda/pop/soda pop/whateveryouprefertocallit and so I would start buying it more, then it would start making it's way in the house long term and then I would get addicted to it all over again. I used to only drink water (occasionally lemonade when I went out to eat at places) and while I'm not drinking a lot of soda in a day, I still don't want to drink it everyday or every week for that matter. Honestly, last year was really rough on us and our diets (pop being the biggest factor) so I'm hoping to start with water, stay with it, and then work on ourselves in various different ways a little bit at a time. The reason why I guess I'm calling it a NYR is because it's conveniently a good time to start now that things are a bit more calm.

Anyway, post ahead, even if you don't have any New Year's Resolutions.

 

[Dionysos]

How do you feel about New Year's Resolutions (positive or negative?)
I think they are a fine idea but I imagine many don’t stick to them. It becomes a running joke with many people that by the end of January most people have already lapsed back into their former habits.
It apparently takes six to eight weeks for a new behaviour to become routine. It takes time, and people often give up far too early.

Have you ever made a New Year's Resolution, and did you actually stick to it?
I haven't made any serious resolutions. By that I mean that I'm sure I have told myself "I must do this next year" or "I must fix that next year" as New Year has approached, but I've never written them down and recorded them.
On some years I have found myself saying some of the same things and expecting the following year to be any different. Maybe that's a sign of madness. I'm done with madness now, I think.

If you have one, what is your New Year's Resolution for 2020?
While I didn't really create a resolution on New Year's Day and carve anything on stone or write anything down, I think I might do this now. A little late, but only a little. The year is still young.
I think I need to focus on fixing my health a bit. Nothing serious as far as I am aware, but I have a few niggling issues which I've been putting off for way too long. Hoping that by being brave and silent that they'd go away. They haven't.

I need to socialise more and will make more steps towards that. I have KupoCon and a limited handful of local meet-up groups which are great, but these are hardly regular. I hardly see people within my friendship circle now, so I need to broaden out and put myself in situations where I can meet more people. My sticking point has always been struggling to find something which is really 'me', but I guess I should just be taking a gamble and turning up to something random anyway.

 

[Mercurial]

How do you feel about New Year's Resolutions (positive or negative?)
Funnily enough, I had this exact same conversation with a friend and work colleague the other week whom asked me if I had any resolutions.

I'm largely ambivalent about New Year's resolutions on a personal level, although I fully respect those who do believe in them. Personally, I'm of the opinion that if I were to think of a New Year's resolution, I would rather pursue it sooner rather than later - I don't actually think January 1st is a particularly good time to start a lot new resolutions anyway; it's generally a miserable, dark, cold time of year with a lot of people hitting post-Christmas blues, so motivation usually isn't at a peak. Any fitness resolution involving the gym is a good example of January being the worst time to join - November / December is far, far better.

I think the problem a lot of people have is exactly the reason Dionysos highlighted; changing behaviours is progressive and, in most cases, benefits aren't instant. The main reason 80% of people fail resolutions by February is because there's no instant gratification. I also think people are too hard on themselves in how they measure progress. Allowing a little room for error and slips isn't a bad thing - in fact, I think it keeps you sane to appreciate that no one is perfect and slipping now and again doesn't ruin all your current progress and doesn't mean you should give in. Simply pick up from where you left off.

That said, everyone is different. Whilst New Year's resolutions don't work for me personally, all the power to those who can pick up on January 1st and make a change to their lives.

Have you ever made a New Year's Resolution, and did you actually stick to it?
I've never outright committed to a New Year's resolution previously. I have had ideas of what I might want to do or give up, but because I've never fully committed myself to actually following it through, it has usually fallen through pretty quickly.

If you have one, what is your New Year's Resolution for 2020?
I haven't made a resolution this year but I am hoping to get to the gym on a more regular basis, but I think it will largely be the same as last year. I do frequent my local leisure centre often but it can also be a bit hit and miss depending on what is going on in life. Unfortunately, it's difficult to commit to anything this year. As my fiancée and I are looking to get our into our first house this year, our money and time is tied up into that and wedding planning, so I think it's going to hit and miss with any sort of resolution this year.


All the best with coming off soft drinks; I've been down that route myself so completely understand the cravings. The absolute best thing is just to eradicate from the household - if it's not there, you simply can't drink it!