Procrastination thy name is New Year resolution

When New Year is around the corner, people go hyperactive making resolutions for the new year.  Some of the standard new year resolutions are to lose weight, exercise more, be more organised, quit smoking, save money, travel more, pursue a hobby and so on. Every year many resolve thoughtfully only to break it later. Few actually stay on course to achieve it. 

More than a decade ago, my friend dismissed the idea of a new year resolution. It is just postponing what one could have easily started today. It’s another form of procrastination, she said. 

Change can take place anytime and anywhere. However, two things are fundamental to it: willingness to change and action for change. Instead of deciding to take action on some over-hyped date, if one starts to take control of things and implement their plans immediately or instantly, it is much more realistic an approach.

So, it may be good not to have a resolution. 2020 held a mirror to us to understand better what is unpredictability and why tenacity is important. Here are my three reasons why it is best not to have a new year resolution and just go with life flow.

Man proposes the unknown disposes.

Last year put human intelligence, scientific ability, power, wealth to litmus test by a virus. We struggled to contain the pandemic, let alone claim supremacy over it. The struggle is continuing still. Man proposes unknown disposes perfectly amplifies the year gone by.

Healthy life

We learnt that health is life. We also learnt to be grateful for the healthy life we have had so far. Certain aspects like mental health, and immunity, that we had taken for granted are things we should feel thankful. What we have is worth its weight in gold than what we want to chase. Pandemic and other diseases have taught us there is no guarantee of anyone being healthy or unhealthy irrespective of age factors.

Minimalistic Mantra

Save, Re-use, Recycle. These were mantras our earlier generations practised and lived by. Some of these culturally ingrained systems were fading, and the pandemic brought the focus right back to it.

The previous year has been an eye opener in more ways than one. For those who have been lucky, this was time to achieve more self-improvement goals than they could imagine, be more productive, focus on their health, spend more time with family and everything else. However, for others it was a disruption that took the shape of life-threatening illness, financial insecurity, racial violence, and death. 

In the wake of a year such as 2020, the impact of which still persists, resolutions and planning for a new year seem to feel futile. A lot of people across the globe have struggled to make sense of their surroundings, in comparison to what they have always known. The focus now has shifted on to what they need to be whole and survive through these difficult times. 

And while it is human nature to set goals at the start of something new, making the beginning of a New Year a popular time to set expectations for the year ahead – as a sign of hope and purpose. However, the punchline remains that these goals of self-improvement once achieved may or may not necessarily have a drastic impact on one’s life.  Especially with the uncertainty that comes with the pandemic, it sure makes one wonder does any external change really have the power to make one feel “better” or different? Or are resolutions just another example of the old adage: Wherever you go, there you are? 


The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Radha Radhakrishnan
Radha Radhakrishnan has over 25 years of experience in corporate communications and marketing across different industries and geographies. She has built a reputation as a storyteller and a creative thinker. She has mentored social entrepreneurial startups and has been a visiting faculty at premier communications institutes in India. She is currently the global head of corporate communications at Wipro Enterprises. She anchors the weekly PR and Communication podcast, Mrigashira.

Be the first to comment on "Procrastination thy name is New Year resolution"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*