Why I Do Not Make New Year's Resolutions

Every year, millions of people stay up until midnight on the night of December 31 to ring in the new year. I have never understood this. I find this quite arbitrary. Prior to midnight, we write "2014" on our checks, and after midnight, we write "2015." If we are celebrating the changing of one element on our calendars, then why are we not doing this every month or every day? One could argue that we celebrate because we only change the year once every 365 days, but if we are simply celebrating the novelty of the changing of the date, it would make more sense to celebrate a new decade. It would be even more novel to celebrate a new century or millennium. But no, we celebrate the new year. The most prominent reason for celebrating the new year seems to be the opportunity to make a new start.

Each January millions of people begin to work on the New Year's resolutions. They pledge to make positive improvements in their life. The sentiment is noble, but also confusing. If one identifies an area of one's life that needs improving, why wait until the new year to do something about it? Would it not make sense to make these changes when the problem is identified? 

This is why I do not make New Year's resolutions. I know my faults, and I generally realize them long before New Year's Eve.  When I truly want to make a change in my life, I make the change. I believe we should be constantly trying to improve ourselves, not merely once every 365 days.

If you truly want to become a better person in 2015, you should not be concerned about New Year's resolutions. Make your concern being a better person regardless of the date.