It’s time we accept that New Year’s resolutions are stupid

“New year, new me!” “2022 is gonna be my year!”

Are you, though? And is it?

Look, can we be honest with each other? I think it’s safe to say that most of us will look back and realize that we bombed on our New Year’s resolutions before March even rolled around. Lose weight. Quit smoking. Finally start that interpretive dance studio. We get going and stick to it for a few weeks, but crash because change is hard.

Here’s the thing, if you’re going to make a change, make it now. Right now. As you’re reading this. Time is a construct we made up because we like to make sense of things. The earth spins like a top as it goes in circles around the sun, but each day is essentially the same.

So what’s really special about January 1st? The answer: nothing, really. So you don’t need to use that as an excuse to make a change. You can do it now.

Maybe you just need a little motivation. Sheesh, do I understand that. Here are some readings that have really helped me feel enlightened and empowered:

Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck – I cannot recommend this book enough. Dr. Dweck has dedicated her life to understanding the psychology of fixed and growth mindsets, and her findings are astounding. This book will help you realize what areas of you’re life you’ve settled into a fixed mindset, then break out of them and grow in healthy ways. An absolute 10/10.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown – We try to pull ourselves a lot of different directions to make people happy at work, at home, or wherever. But what really matters? What if we zeroed in on the most important things, then magnified those and didn’t let the small stuff get to us? That’s what Greg McKeown talks about in this seminal work.

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen – Clay taught at Harvard Business School. He saw a lot of students come and go, become massively successful in their professional careers, but completely fall apart in their personal lives. This volume operates along the same vein as Essentialism by asking what really matters to you. What makes life important? How do you measure your own happiness? And how can you magnify those things to feel truly fulfilled?

Those books are fantastic and I highly recommend them for your collection. But if you’re still looking for some more quantifiable (New Year’s) resolutions to improve your mental, emotional, or physical health, here are some recommendations:

• Exercise for at least 20 minutes per day
• Eat two fruits and a vegetable each day
• Meditate for 10 minutes per day
• Buy all of Aaron’s books and leave glowing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads *Recommended!*
• Volunteer at least once per month
• Write in a journal once per week
• Sign up for Aaron’s newsletter because it’s free, he’ll never send me spam, and he’s really handsome *Also recommended!*
• Read a new book every month
• Write something you’re sincerely grateful for every day