This is the time of year when we resolutely resolve to finally do the things we have always wanted to do. Nothing encapsulates this peculiar ritual more than the act of making New Year’s resolutions.
Firstly, I try not to place too much significance on the Earth completing one full revolution around the Sun. To me, the date is arbitrary on the grand scale of the cosmos. And if we were to choose a meaningful date for personal reinvention, why not our birthdays? That would make far more sense, wouldn’t it? At least the dates are personalized to us.
Secondly, why a list? I would rather focus on completing one resolution before moving on to the next. As my wife likes to remind me, I am not built for multitasking, so I need to process my resolutions sequentially rather than in parallel. Her concern is real. She has seen me mix up simple resolutions like losing weight and expanding my social circle. I end up losing my social circle and gaining weight.
Finally, why do we make these promises only once a year? Shouldn’t we make them on demand? If the scale screams, “Get off me, you fat oaf,” shouldn’t we resolve to lose weight immediately. We shouldn’t give ourselves eleven months of grace period until January 1st rolls around. I know what I’ll do with this generous runway: celebrate my upcoming transformation by eating butter-dripping, crunchy-crusted fried chicken.
Of course, some businesses depend on this annual burst of self-reflection. Gym memberships surge in January, as do sales of self-improvement books. Home repair and improvement services also see a spike though that has more to do with Chinese New Year, which is a related but entirely different matter. Good for them for capitalizing on a seasonal high. Someone should open up pop-up self-help bookstores with attached gym facilities, operating exclusively from January to March. Capitalize on seasonal group think, close before anyone notices it didn’t work.
If there’s any wisdom lurking in this rambling observation (and trust me, I make no such claims), it’s simply this: maybe we should stop waiting for calendar permission to improve our lives. Life’s absurdly short to only start living better on the first day of an arbitrarily designated year.
So here we are: Happy New Year, everyone!