Every new year, millions of people create resolutions in a frantic chase to reinvent themselves.
However, only 9% of people actually follow through with their resolutions, with a quarter of people quitting within a week.
The pressure to transform oneself can be a stressor that leads to failure in achieving New Year’s resolutions, which stems from “a variety of reasons, such as social pressure and the feeling that we always need to be ‘optimizing,’” said Ursula Chan, Director of Inclusion and Belonging.
Phrases like “New year, New me” exacerbate the feeling that we, as individuals, are never good enough; we can always do more, be more, and achieve more.
The cultural trend of “craving quick and unsustainable change rather than long-lasting change,” as junior Marshall Graham said, is reflected in our New Year’s resolutions.
In an online world dominated by celebrities and influencers, goals are often marketed as quick and easy fixes, leading many to set unrealistic short-term goals.
“We see it everywhere on social media,” Chan said, “through ads and promoted by influencers who are also selling something or profiting from engagement. Then, people who are not influencers are joining the discourse about goal setting and reinvention, and it shapes our online culture.”
This marketing includes the characterization of the new year as a landmark for new beginnings and personal reinvention.
“It’s sort of a trend, people see the new year as new beginnings, and we categorize eras of our lives in little bins like 2024 and 2025,” junior Camilla Joffrey said.
A 2024 study by Drive Research found that “62% of those making resolutions felt pressured to do so,” whether by friends, family, or influencers on social media.
The resulting New Year’s resolutions can even be counterproductive, instead of leading a “happier, healthier self,” they often result in disappointment, and can even be harmful to people’s mental health.
The glorification of maximized productivity causes us to be underwhelmed by our achievements, focusing only on what we’ve done wrong.
“I don’t really stick to them because that’s just one day of the year, and then I go on with my life and continue growing at the pace I would on my own. I’m not forcing lessons onto myself, “ Camilla said.
With over 43% of people quitting their resolutions by January, it’s clear that the culture of quick fixes and the need for instant gratification have led to an overall setback in our success in completing resolutions as a whole.
The solution is to set reasonable goals that help us to focus on the present instead of a happier future where we’ve achieved our goals, as unrealistic expectations will only lead to disappointment.
For setting realistic goals, Chan recommends using the SMART acronym, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Chan said, “For work, I use the SMART acronym to help me articulate what my goals are and how exactly I can achieve them, and through that process, I can understand if they’re realistic.”
More general solutions include setting realistic and clear goals, expecting gradual change rather than an instant improvement, and planning out specific action steps to achieve goals. Ultimately, the most important thing is to not “put too much pressure on yourself,” Camilla said.
New Year’s Eve is only one day out of 365, and goals can be set or quit at any time.