new year, new me

Unpopular opinion: New Year’s resolutions are pointless. Although many people argue that the new year is a time for a fresh start, the fact remains that New Year’s resolutions are typically forgotten by the end of January, fading to the back of the mind of the resolver as quickly as they were formulated. I believe that the main reason for this is that people make their resolutions too vague and set their expectations too high. They aim to eat healthy, go to the gym, or get an A in every class. Although these are theoretically plausible resolutions, they are not usually made with a set plan in mind. What kind of meals will I eat? When do I have time to go to the gym? Can I realistically get an A in Physics?

Instead, I have found a much more manageable way to set personal goals for the upcoming year— and it only involves a single word. Each New Year’s Eve, I reflect on the past year, noting my successes, failures, and areas where I need improvement. I also consider the upcoming year, contemplating what my life will look like across the next 12 months. Then, I choose one word that will sum up the way that I want to live for the next year.

This may sound confusing, and less effective than an actual resolution. However, I enjoy the One Word Resolution because it allows for flexibility. I can apply this one word to numerous aspects of my life, and it can speak to many different ways in which I can improve my life. For example, the word I chose for 2022 was “determined.” On the surface level, I applied this word to school and sports— I worked hard in my classes, trained diligently in practice, and pushed myself on exams and at competitions. This may sound similar to the resolutions of “going to the gym every day” or “getting an A in every class”. However, with this one-word goal, I did not tie myself to one single definition of success. There were days where I felt tired and decided to take a rest day; other days, I got bad grades on tests or assignments. Despite all of this, I was still completing my resolution— I was still training hard in practice and studying diligently on my tests. By focusing on my effort, rather than the results I got, I knew that I was doing the best that I could and sticking with my goal for the year, which made it more manageable for me to actually keep going with my resolution.

This goal of staying determined also applied to my personal life. In 2022, I became determined to spend more time with my friends and family, to read more books, and to be more grateful for the world around me. One, single word allowed me to improve in multiple areas of my life, and was a goal that I remained enthusiastic about throughout the entire year. So, in 2023, I encourage you to try this resolution, and see how one word can change your life.