Genuine self-altering plans or just excuses to make ourselves feel better by only planning so? Plays plotted for a mere resemblance because of what those around us did or schemes truly intended for bringing out the better in us? New year-celebration of a new time cycle- besides its initial purpose of a holiday, it has a usual belonging to its occurrence: undoubtedly, New Year resolutions.
It is a typical memory for most of us, pacing up and down through our minds, on the time of New Year in search of New Year plans, and we end up listing numerous of them. A 2022 survey shows 23% of survey practitioners planned on living healthier, 21% personal on improvement and happiness, and 23% account for losing weight.
Yet of all the planners, only 75% of the practitioners succeeded in the first week. After a month, only 45% have been found allegiance to their oath. Unluckily by the end of the 6th month, shockingly, only four percent are still adherent to their resolutions. Hence, this raises a question of its the plans continuality-at all likeliness for the coming time? Why are there so many fiascos, truly why?
Tracing back, we all do plan. We make own plots every now and then and looking consciously, they have more possibilities in their continuation than those plotted on New Year’s. No-New Year plan is not cursed, in case you are wondering. Instead, the prominent reason is we eventually stop seeing the point of why we started this in the first place, only stating it we did because it was New Year.
That time leaves pressure on us, reminding us it’s the time for core self-improvement of ourselves in the points we feel weakest at. Thus, we prepare ourselves resolutions because we feel obliged to the time, to the event, to the new period of life, rather than our genuine committed agreement on the new courses and the new changes, which should have been the actual reasons.
Therefore, the lack of commitment and dedication to the resolution will eventually lead up to the fiascos which leave a mark of self-underestimation on ourselves-whose severity is deep. By means, the fact of failure, each year, trying to fulfill the pledges we gave to ourselves at the start, will force us to doubt ourselves, to question our true ability in a very misleading way.
Some, as we hear usually can be heard claiming they can’t keep up with their plans, they add “It’s no point for me to plan any resolution, it’s not like I can do it.” This show besides a variety in each individual commitment issue, the damage of unplanned plan does to a person, the distraction it brings to our self-estimation.
Hence, it is advised to inquire ourselves deeply before planning any kind of plans. When we do, establishing habits such as these are necessary to help us to keep intact with our goals: Developing necessary skills and mindset ahead of time; Asking a question instead of making a declaration; Changing our timings to the one we feel comfortable rather than the conventional; Preventing ourselves from making unrealistic goals and most importantly avoiding setting numerous goals at a time.
To end with, let’s clear out the irrationality which keeps feeding us those biased thoughts that claim plans are on New Year’s, resolutions are on fresh year, rather than the actuality which is individual motivation and dedication can be at any time of the year.
So let’s rethink this metaphor: “It’s either of the first day of the month or not at all.” This misleadingly links any resolution’s succession to the time of its occurrence, rather than what should have been the main motive- the effort and commitment involved in it.
BY BITANIYA TADELE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 28 JULY 2023
