Collegiate Times

I am a little late, I know, but it’s 2011. Whether you think we are just that much closer to the end of the world, or are taking the new year in stride, I am sure you have some sort of new year’s resolution.

I wonder, though, how long those resolutions will last, and whether looking at them in a different way could change how long they last. I mean, let’s face it, a new year’s resolution only makes it until the ‘new year’ has lost its luster and writing 2011 instead of 2010 is something you don’t have to think about anymore.

Resolutions, though, are supposed to last through the year, even through your entire life. The point is not to see how long you can go without something (this isn’t Lent, guys, it’s a new year). The point is to change something in your life that you are unhappy about for the better. It really is a resolution — a determined, thoughtful and planned expression of something that you want to change — and in this case, it’s all about you.

So why not take it seriously? Why not make a change that betters you, and maybe even helps someone or something else? The nice thing about resolutions is they almost always revolve around you and what you want out of your life.

If you do not want to make any changes, then don’t. But if you do, pursue them as avidly as possible. A change for yourself, something you want, should be of the utmost importance to you. If you are not doing what you love or living how you want — and you can change it — then do.

Those who constantly make changes in their lives are no strangers to this idea, to bettering yourself, to making a change that is definite and long-lasting. Which is why the concept of making resolutions that you will care about and pursue is so important; they will contribute to your happiness.

Making yourself happy, which I believe is the most important thing, is the only way to reach a state that will allow you to help others. How can you help others if you yourself are unhappy? How can you show people how to pursue a change if you yourself never do?

My point? Change for the better should be pursued and enacted more than just once a year. Not only that, but it should be something you are serious and motivated about. Resolutions themselves are intended to create permanent change, not temporary and unmotivated change. They are the best part of the new year — the possibilities, the start of something better and every other happy cliche out there. But what good is all this potential if it’s just going to be a lukewarm pursuit?

Whatever your resolutions are, I hope they are pursued as far as they can be — and they last throughout the year. Keep in mind, though, that changes can occur whenever you wish to enact them, and while the new year allows you to reflect on what you would like to change, and how you would like to change it, it’s never too late to start a new resolution. 

A version of this article appeared in the Jan 19 issue of the Collegiate Times.