What’s your new year’s resolution? Have you made one yet or are you still sitting on the sofa trying to piece together the events of last night’s party?
Whatever you’re up to right now, happy 2024!
Why do people make new year’s resolutions?
The start of a new year is symbolic for a lot of people. When that clock strikes 12, it’s a time of renewal and a chance to start fresh. It’s like the first page of a new notebook, empty and full of potential.
Making a resolution can be a great way to get motivated. By setting goals you’re focusing and changes that you hope to make. There are many benefits, such as gaining a sense of purpose and direction, improving physical and mental well-being or encouraging personal growth and development.
But, there are just as many reasons not to, such as feeling overwhelmed with the task(s) ahead, setting unachievable goals or ones you’re not committed to.
None the less, today, more than any other, is the day when people make commitments for change.
Popular New Year’s Resolutions for 2024
People have been making new year’s resolutions for over 200 years and although the specifics might vary, the themes are more or less the same now as they were in the 1800’s. In no particular order, most resolutions sound something like;
- eat less/more/differently
- save money
- quit smoking (or another unhealthy habit)
- reduce stress
- get a better job or advance in the one you have
- learn a new skill
- spend more time with family/friends
- travel more
- read more
- get more sleep
So chances are, you’ve told yourself, or your nearest and dearest, a version of one of these things. You might have bought new gym gear or signed up to headspace, and that’s completely fine.
But what if you tried a different approach?
Our New Year’s Resolution
There’s conflicting information online but it’s thought that most people give up on their resolution before they reach the 6 week mark. That means instead of getting that seratonin boost from a job well done, you’re likely to end up feeling deflated and defeated with summer days too far away.
This year, we don’t want to take on a plan that’s likely to fail, so we’re not going to make a resolution. Instead we’re making a commitment to live our lives to the fullest.
We began living together in Cyprus just before covid put a pause on most of our travel and leisure plans, but 2023 is looking bright so instead of tying ourselves to goals we’ll probably fail at, we’re going to focus on enjoying our time in this beautiful little country we call home.
Life Without a New Year’s Resolution
Life without a new year’s resolution doesn’t mean we’re going to lack goals.
Besides the fact that making a resolution can feel daunting, it’s a big commitment to focus on and achieve certain things – and sometimes that comes at the expense of other others aspects of life.
Instead of setting one resolution, we’re going to gently incorporate habits and experiences that promote overall well-being. We’re going to;
- start eating more local food and learning how to prepare it
- explore local sites and find out how they came to be
- remember to enjoy long coffee breaks together
- talk about our plans over dinner dates at some of our favourite restaurants
It doesn’t count as a failure if one day we get a take away instead of cooking. Or when it rains we decide to sit on the sofa and binge watch our favourite show. Even if the only thing we do in a day is have a coffee, we’re still taking a few minutes to enjoy ourselves and feel good about where we are and what we have.
With the focus gently shifted from achievement to experience, we will undoubtedly nail a lot of the common resolutions without even realizing it. And, by taking away the pass or fail mentality, we hope to feel more balanced and satisfied, leading to positive changes in our whole lives.
Why not cut yourself some slack, take the pressure off, and make 2024 your year too!
Further Reading
August 2024 Edit: We’ve been really busy this year expanding the blog and branching out into YouTube as well. If you’re interested in our channels, they’re here: