The calendar has begun to collect dust on the table, along with the sticky note with our new year's resolution on it as we've passed the first month of the new year. The practice of beginning a new year by attempting to implement changes and attain goals to help us become the best version of ourselves isn't new. After all, twelve new months that are yet to be tainted give us the potential for a new start. Despite the warm welcome to new beginnings, the days pass at a faster pace and our fervour to implement meaningful changes fades.

Resolutions have a way of making themselves big and grand, often inspiring us to take on challenges that might prove to be unattainable or unrealistic later on. With that being said, it is important to remember to aim for plausible personal goals that bring about positive changes no matter how big or small. A fresh start also does not necessarily mean remodelling your whole life; instead, it means refining what is working and letting go of what is not.

Instead of framing our resolutions as yearly goals, we could instead opt to break them into daily or weekly goals. For instance, if your goal is to hit the gym, it might be better to aim for a weekly number of days that you'd like to attend the gym than just going every day for the first five days of the year. What this will do is give you severe muscle cramps and cause fatigue. In the process, your resolution remains unfulfilled. Dividing the task into weekly activities instead of daily ones will allow you to maintain the pace. This will not only make it more manageable, but will also give you a sense of achievement.

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We need to talk about new year’s resolutions

It is also important to remember that a fresh start cannot simply be forced into our schedules. It requires mindfulness on our part as well, and that starts with taking care of your physical and mental health. A start to the latter might begin with a shift in mindset as well as learning self-compassion. Some actionable steps might include decluttering your physical space, setting boundaries, practising mindfulness, or prioritising rest, which are all powerful ways to reset and recalibrate. This enables creating space for newer and better things to take root. Anything that creates a lasting positive impact on yourself should be considered a milestone.

The concept of a fresh start is not about perfection but about persistence. We aim to create work-life balance but fall back into the same patterns. It is not easy to let go of old habits and learn new ones. Adapting or applying change is not a linear development. So, instead of abandoning your resolution entirely, take a moment to pause, reassess, and reflect on your progress. Give yourself the due credit and modify your goal to fit your current reality.

Regardless of the date on the calendar, the act of learning, improving, and self-growth, is a continuous process. Even though a new year, in all its glory, seems like an optimum opportunity to take on challenges and bring about changes in our lives, a fresh start is not defined by a new year or a birthday. We can aim for a clean slate on a random Monday evening, halfway through a dull ordinary month, or in the middle of a challenging day. Even when things feel overwhelming, remind yourself that it is okay to pause, reset, and start over. We do not need to abandon our goals just because we did not get it right the first time. And we definitely don't need a new year to start over.

Silwat Quader is majoring in Economics at NSU, reach her at [email protected]