Here's why I don't do New Year's resolutions

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. To me, they're just a bit fake. A way for us to publicly brag about how the new year, some arbitrary date change, has transformed us into better people. 

Resolutions are also forgotten within months, if not sooner. If you ask me, this is because the resolutions we make are extremely impractical. We suddenly decide that next year, we will not be ourselves, but instead will be the people we want to be. But I assure you that if there was something drastically wrong (say, your diet or personality), and you actually cared, you would have already taken steps to make a change. You wouldn't have waited till January 1st to do so. So not only are resolutions fake, they are also useless. They unnecessarily make us feel bad about who we are, and make us feel worse when we neglect to keep them. 

This morning I consciously recycled a piece of paper and thought Wow. What if instead of saying they weren't going to eat fries this year, each person resolved to recycle more? What if instead of being by the man for the man, resolutions were instead created by the people for the people? When we do things as part of a group, we're more likely to succeed. It's that motivational peer pressure (think Weight Watchers). What if resolutions were more group-oriented leading to some greater good for the community or those less fortunate? Wouldn't that be kind of cool? Resolutions would be more effective, long-standing, and meaningful.

I have nothing against people who make New Year's resolutions. The tradition is simply not for me. And while I don't have specific 2012 resolutions, here are some things I've been working on over the past couple months:  

Go with the flow. Last week, I went for a run with my brother. He has pretty long legs, so despite the fact that I run everyday and he runs about once a year, I was struggling to keep up while he was moving at something between a fast-paced walk and a slow jog. After a couple miles, I simply couldn't handle it anymore. Without any warning, I began doing the Phoebe run. If you've never tried it, believe you me, it's quite liberating and quite the speed booster. My luck, we ended up crossing paths with our neighbors as I was um, expanding my athletic capabilities. We've lived a couple houses apart forever, but have never exchanged more than civil hellos. They looked pretty surprised and uncomfortable, but we were only face-to-face for a split second. I doubt they cared to know what was going on and probably haven't thought about the reasons behind my actions since. Maybe because I studied psychology, maybe because it's just my disposition, maybe due to a combination of both, I like to analyze everything. The problem is that sometimes, there simply is no reason for what people say or do. I'm working on going with the flow, letting things go, and analyzing just a little bit less. 

What would you do if you weren't afraid? I've heard this a couple times and heard it again today at work. It's such an inspiring phrase. If we weren't afraid, if we just jumped, we'd likely see more successes than failures. Though paradoxically, we often limit ourselves in fear of failure. We make safer choices. While throwing fears to the wind and acting on whims is nowhere in my near future, this is a question I've started asking when I come to forks in the road. It helps me to clearly determine whether the safe option is actually the ideal option. And while I may not always choose the "one that makes me afraid," the reflection in itself is valuable. 

Everything looks perfect from far away. This is one of my favorite song lyrics. As awkward as they are, I love quick catch-ups. Like bumping into an acquaintance on the street or in the halls. Because in the few minutes you have together, you kind of want to present your life in the best light possible. And in doing so, you're politely reminded that Hey, when you step back a little, things aren't that bad after all. In fact, life looks pretty good. Like impressionist artwork. I'm trying to instill this notion into my daily life as well. Just taking some time to step back more frequently, in the day-today, and appreciate that the good exceeds the bad. 

Generally, I'm happy. I'm happy with the person I'm turning out to be and I'm happy with the friends and family who surround me, both near and far. Nothing is perfect, I'm not perfect, and there's always room for improvement. But change can't happen over night. So going into this new year? It's the same old me.