Why I’m Skipping New Year’s Resolutions (and You Might Want To, Too)

Breaking Free from the Calendar: A Healthier Approach to Change

Photo by Nadiia Shuran on Unsplash

What are your new year's resolutions? Have you made any, and do you plan to follow through with them?

I haven't. And that's not because I don't believe in change, but because I think new year's resolutions have a relatively low chance of success. Here's why.

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New Year's Resolutions and Their Odds of Success

Most of us are probably in a current state that we're not entirely satisfied with. Personally, I have several things I’ve been thinking about changing, and one of them is smoking weed. I enjoy having a joint in the evening, letting my mind wander, and embracing creative flow. However, I’m seriously considering quitting it for two reasons: first, it’s not healthy, and second, I’ve realized it’s an escape—an escape from problems that I avoid facing.

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A Personal Reflection on Change

But will I stop smoking weed from now on? No, I won’t. The reason is that, in my current value system, the useful and enjoyable benefits of smoking still outweigh the unpleasant and harmful ones. Although I’ve been smoking much less lately (I haven’t smoked in a week), I’m still not ready to quit, and I don’t see why I should force myself to do so just because the calendar has switched from 2024 to 2025. While I understand that New Year’s resolutions work for some people, I find them misaligned with how true change happens for me.

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The Apple on the Tree

Here is how I see the process of change. To explain it, imagine that our current state is symbolized by an apple on a tree. The apple is still relatively green, firmly attached to the tree by its stem, and growing. Over time, the apple will mature, ripen, and eventually detach from the tree and fall to the ground. That process of ripening and falling represents change.

The reason I’m skeptical about New Year's resolutions is that it feels like picking an unripe apple from the tree. In other words, the apple hasn’t ripened yet—just like our readiness for change—and that’s why the chances of success are low. In such circumstances, we often revert to old habits.

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When True Change Happens

A change that is lasting and meaningful comes from understanding.

We need to reach a state where we deeply understand why we want the change and why it’s necessary. That understanding must be so strong that staying on the tree feels harder than falling to the ground. When that happens, we’re ready for real change. But how likely is it for that moment to align perfectly with the start of a new year? An apple falls when it’s ready, not because the calendar says it’s time. It doesn’t celebrate New Year’s.

If we’ve already reached that understanding before the new year, why wait to act on it? On the other hand, if we’re not ready, why force the change just because of the date?

True change happens when we’re ready for it, regardless of whether it’s before the new year, at the start of it, or any other day.

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A New Year as an Opportunity for Reflection

What I do see as the value of a New Year is the opportunity for introspection. This date can inspire us to think and help us reevaluate our situation from a fresh perspective. It can serve as a prompt to analyze and reconsider our habits, goals, and desires. However, while reflection is an important step in the right direction, it is not sufficient on its own.

For a change to be lasting, it has to come from inner understanding, not just from a decision or brute force, even if it’s triggered by the New Year.

Understanding is key. When that understanding ripens, when there’s no more doubt about what we want, and when we’re ready to let go of the old, that’s when the moment of change comes—and that moment has nothing to do with the dates on a calendar.

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