Opinion by ScarlettHenery

It’s the night of Dec. 31; the ball is dropping, “and when the clock strikes 12:00, I’m ready to change my life,” says everyone ever.

The stereotype of New Year’s is a fresh, clean slate for everyone in the world. If last year was a little rough, it’s a good thing there’s a brand new one right around the corner. These new years are often thought of as an opportunity to turn your life around. Each year, we make these plans to better ourselves. “This year I’ll start going to the gym,” or “I’m finally going to give up my crippling shopping addiction,” or maybe “I’m cutting ties with my ex.” We’ve all heard these so-called resolutions spill from our hopeful friends’ mouths, but how many of these will really last?

Resolutions are defined as a firm decision to do or not do something. This means when we make a resolution, we should be pretty adamant on carrying it through. So why do so few resolutions make it past February? I have a theory. 

The idea that our year begins fresh on some specific date at one specific time is putting too much pressure on us. 

The task of completely renovating your life by the end of December isn’t something we always want or need to do. However, it’s become a forceful time to make a change. 

It’s honestly bizarre to think that we need an entire year to decide to make a change within ourselves. What’s even crazier is this notion we have that, come Jan. 1, our life is going to turn for the better. This is almost never the case. 

Real change in our lives takes time, weeks, months, maybe even another year. If you want to change something within your life, it’s going to take more than just a resolution. It will take patience, determination, resilience and self-control. 

You can’t let one failure bring you back to square one. You can’t just accept defeat and wait to try again next year. The truth is, every day can be a new year. 

Every day can be an opportunity to better yourself. If you want to make a change, then make it any day of the year because what is so special about Jan.1? I personally think it’s overrated.

I chose not to make a New Year’s resolution this year. Not because I’m against the concept of bettering myself, but simply because I’m in no need of any change. I want to be able to go through my year making resolutions when needed. I want to find passions throughout the year and dedicate myself to them. I want to recognize a bad habit and try to solve during any month in the year. 

Why not stop bad habits as soon as you realize? Having a predetermined date to make a change can be damaging to ourselves. We may wait too long to address the problem, using the excuse, “Oh that’ll be my New Year’s resolution.” If you need to make a change in your life, make it whenever you can. Don’t wait until the clock strikes midnight.