By Kadie Gurley
New Years is right around the corner. It is the time of year where people celebrate with loved ones by overcoming 365 days. It is also the day where millions of people create goals they want to accomplish during the upcoming year, also known as New Year’s Resolutions. Losing weight, getting organized, and saving money are just some of many resolutions I have either heard of or attempted myself. For many, this works just fine. However, what is the point of waiting until the new year to change habits?
I used to be this way until I came to the realization that if you want to change habits, you have to start right away. For example, let’s say you just finished a crazy semester and you want to learn how to be more organized. Are you going to start right away to change or wait until Jan. 1 to embark on your objective? That is one of the problems I have with resolutions.
Another issue I faced when making New Year’s Resolutions is that it can be blindly financially burdening, as in you do not realize how much money is being spent while trying to obtain the goal. Attempting to accomplish these goals can be financially straining and impact consumer buying patterns. Many people spend money every year trying to complete their goals and some give up after a month of trying. That was once me. Not saying there is something wrong with creating goals for yourself, but definitely make realistic choices that do not include buying unnecessary and expensive material to accomplish it.
When deciding you want to lose weight, instead of dropping money for a gym membership that costs an arm and a leg each month, think about it realistically. From the amount of days you plan on attending the gym to buying workout clothes and healthy food, those are thoughts you should think about before using your whole check. If you want to indulge into buying material to help attain a goal then make sure you are completely all in. Do not make fake goals that you know you cannot achieve, like going to the gym twice a day and five days a week. Come on, let’s be serious. That is possible for some, but not for an average person like myself. Today, start to attain a goal you were waiting on for New Year’s and try to fulfill it right away rather than waiting for Jan. 1. With that, you will be able to dodge the unnecessary use of bulge consumerism.
