Member-only story
Our Obsession With New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions remind me of an old Prudential commercial where they ask people to record life events on different colored magnets, blue for negative events, and yellow for positive events. The past events were about fifty-fifty blue and yellow, whereas the future events were mostly yellow.
When people look at the future, they see all the possibilities. New Year’s Resolutions are the hope that the future will be brighter, and the New Year is an indication of the future and of leaving the past behind.
Let’s look at the typical New Year’s Resolutions:
Being healthier, managing finances better, quitting bad habits, learning new skills, being more social, and improving mental wellbeing are all admirable goals, all made with good intentions. People generally want to change their lives.
So why do 80% of New Year’s Resolutions only last to February?
I have worked for multiple gyms, and every January is the same: traffic increases, but numbers are back to normal by February. These “Resolutioners” come in at five am, do all thirty machines, and then go off to work. Or they come after work and take a…
