Every January, right after the holiday treats and just before we flip the calendar, the same story pops up. Most of us see the new year as a perfect chance to set new goals. Or revisit old ones we never quite reached. We lose interest fast, doubt ourselves, or let laziness win. The outcome is always the same. We didn’t succeed last year, so we hope this year will be different. It’s like changing the calendar activates some magic spell. So, here we have the classic New Year’s goals. Or as they say in the village I don’t have:
New Year’s Resolutions.
They come from guilt, hope, or just a habit we can’t shake.
So what are the most common goals people set?
What are the top resolutions?
Exercise more This one is always at the top.
WHAT WE WANT: We want to avoid turning into our couch. We want to hit the gym. Yes, actually go! Should we get a monthly pass? Why not go for an annual one? Maybe even a three-year deal to save money and outsmart the gym owners. Ideally, we want to run for an hour daily. If not, at least walk for that long. Maybe buy a treadmill or one of those trendy ellipticals. Basically, we want to make exercise part of our lives for better health and because we probably indulged in about 65 extra holiday treats.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS: We’ll sign up for a gym membership for 6 months but only go 20 times in the first month and a half. After that, even our GPS won’t find it! We might jog or walk for a week and feel proud that we took the stairs instead of the elevator last week. And those stationary bikes and ellipticals? They’ll just become fancy hangers at home. The only thing we’ll remember from our fitness journey will be the new workout clothes and pricey running shoes we bought as an investment.
Eat healthier Are you taking notes? I am.
Less sugar, fewer bad fats, and more of those ‘good’ fats. More veggies, better proteins, fruits, and seeds. What seeds? Flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds—just skip any with ‘weed’ in them! Our fridge fills up with healthy stuff: avocados and fruits we didn’t know existed until yesterday. We stock up on black rice and whole-grain pasta until that first pizza shows up. Then our healthy eating resolution turns into a catchy song lyric: We only live once…
Lose weight
This ties directly to the last two but deserves its own spotlight. At some point, we catch ourselves naked in front of a mirror and it frowns back at us. That frown is contagious! Suddenly our face mirrors that frown too. We make a decision. And you know what happens next. If you don’t know, check back with the first two resolutions. If they went well, so will this one. If not…no worries! With my next paycheck, I’ll buy a bigger mirror so I don’t have to squeeze into my clothes anymore. What did we say before? We only live once… Maybe just a little shorter but still…
Save money Budget apps, envelopes, savings goals—oh my! And then there’s the magic phrase: ‘I’ll cut expenses.’ How much can I really cut? I’m ready to negotiate with sellers to buy just one shoe this month and come back next month for its pair! At the supermarket, I might buy pasta piece by piece: One noodle, two noodles… Excuse me ma’am, how many noodles make a plate?
The truth is simple: To save money either my salary needs to go up (my boss laughs at that) or prices need to drop (the whole world laughs). The third option is robbing a bank but that’s not really an option anymore! In the past you could just grab it and leave; now you have to go through seven biometric checks and wait ages for safes to open.
Read more – What do you mean? Isn’t reading memes and posts enough? What can Dostoevsky or Nureyev offer me?
– He’s actually a dancer! And here’s what reading will give you: First off, it’ll help you tell writers from dancers.
– Dasaev?
– He was a footballer.
The truth is that reading more often becomes one of our main goals for next year but sadly it has to compete with Instagram, TikTok, YouTube etc., making this battle tougher than local teams facing Olympic champions!
Spend more time on myself One of today’s popular resolutions: self-care! Setting boundaries and finding rest while trying to keep stress away—but how do you find time when there’s none? If you spend 2 hours commuting, 8 hours working, 2 hours overtime, 2 hours with kids, 8 hours sleeping, 2 hours shopping…that’s it! No more hours left in your day! So if you want time for yourself either stretch your day or tell your boss no more unpaid overtime unless you want to lose your job—then what do you say? Give kids up for adoption?
Quit (or reduce) bad habits Smoking, drinking, endless phone scrolling—results show you’d rather quit smoking than cut off your left ear like Van Gogh did! Addiction proves stronger than humans sometimes (and telling someone who quit smoking after years of daily use is tough). But those victories look great on your resume if achieved.
At the end of the day resolutions aren’t contracts or tests; they’re mirrors showing what’s missing and where change is needed. Even if not all are kept it doesn’t matter—some are! It’s not about big lists or fancy words but small daily choices.
After all, every day can be like a mini New Year.
Papa – Ratsis
