How useful are New Year resolutions?

During my secondary school days, the sayings ‘New Year, New system’, ‘New year, New me’, ‘New year, New resolutions’, were common amongst students. This stems from the notion that the beginning of a new year offers a fresh start and an opportunity to review goals, re-arrange priorities and probably stop bad habits. While the end […]

During my secondary school days, the sayings ‘New Year, New system’, ‘New year, New me’, ‘New year, New resolutions’, were common amongst students. This stems from the notion that the beginning of a new year offers a fresh start and an opportunity to review goals, re-arrange priorities and probably stop bad habits.

While the end of the year is a great time to pause and reflect on all that you have accomplished, this often leads to an annual list of resolutions that can range from simple to grandiose objectives that can aptly be described as ‘wishful thinking’.

Making New Year’s resolutions has become a tradition where people make promises or set goals to achieve something, for instance changing a specific kind of life style.  On this note, LifeXtra sought people’s opinion on whether making New Year resolutions are useful.

Gbadero Tolulope said New Year resolutions have their pros and cons. He explained that, “resolutions can become unhealthy religious routine which does more harm than good.”

Toluope added that “However for disciplined minds, resolutions propel them to achieve more in life.”

A journalist, Judd- Leonard Okafor, shared with LIFEXTRA his views about New Year resolutions. He said “They are useful to prepare for the New Year and get your mindset ready. They are strong in the first week of January, wane by third week and disappear by the end of January.”

A mother of two, Lami Jonathan, concurs with Okafor. She said “Making New Year resolutions are not really necessary because by the time the first month is gone half way, most of the resolutions would have been broken.”

Illustrating her stance, she said “One might say ‘this year, I will stop womanizing’ or I would stop drinking’ but in about 10 to 15 days into the new year, those resolutions are broken. So what I’m saying in essence is that New Year resolutions are not worth making,” she insists.

Explaining further on why she doesn’t buy the idea of making New Year Resolutions, Lami said “these resolutions are like vows/promises. And it is said that when we make a vow, we have to fulfill it. So anyone making a resolution should try to keep it.”

The Creative Director of GX Media, Folahan Johnson, has a different perspective on making New Year Resolutions. He said “Resolutions are not as important as the person making the resolution.”

He added that “if you’re not a disciplined person who follows through on personal commitments, then New Year resolutions are simply illusions of your fantasies. But then for someone who’s committed and disciplined in their approach to life, who sets goals and follows through, then New Year resolutions are another set of goals to be achieved.”

A poll done by a survey company, YouGov, in December of 2017, showed that some new year resolutions can be very simple things as 37 per cent of the respondents said their 2018 resolution was to eat healthy.

The poll conducted on 1170 adults in the US, also showed that 32 per cent had no plans of making any resolutions.