By: Maricarl Pauline Ampaya, RTU – PSA Writer
Busy people, Media Noche, fireworks, and the loud celebration as the clock strikes 12 midnight screaming "Happy New Year." People get their lucky color of the year, numbers, and everything else they believe is fortunate, especially their New Year's Resolution. It's almost February, but have we evolved into the brand-new versions of ourselves we aspire to be? Since January 1st, we've seen New Year, New Me posts all over our social media feeds. But, now that the excitement of the New Year has subsided, do people follow through on their New Year's resolutions, or the entire concept is a myth?
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change,” Carl Rogers said. As we go through another year, some want to change themselves for a better life and to be able to be their best version. A New Year's resolution is similar to setting a goal to look forward to. Rogers believed that everyone could achieve their life's goals, wishes, and desires. The concept of self or self-concept is central to Rogers' personality theory. It is defined as the organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself.
A second-year Hospitality Management major finds New Year’s resolution unnecessary until she realizes the good side of it with the help of her friends.
She had previously rejected the concept of New Year's resolutions. She did not see the point of it because she couldn't accomplish it in a year. Furthermore, she sees it as putting pressure on her to complete her resolutions within a year. “Its purpose changes from something I’ll feel obliged to accomplish rather than something I’ll look forward to achieving,” she added. But, with the help of her friends, she was able to shift the idea about making New Year's resolutions, realizing that she needed to make plans so she wouldn't get lost on her journey. She stated that since she was able to shift the idea of having new year's resolutions, she is delighted whenever she sees posts with "New Year, New me" captions - as she thought their entire past year was progress for them.
She reflected on how she had dealt with the previous years and what she had learned while working on her new year's resolution. "I used to be so hard on myself when I was disappointed. But everything changed when I learned to slow down and enjoy the process," she explained. She elaborated that it's more fun to enjoy the journey rather than just focusing on the end goal.
As she set her new year's resolution, her self-development improved. If she could talk to her past self, she would tell her past self not to be afraid to take the first step because the first step is the hardest. Even though it will be difficult, it will be worthwhile because she will make significant progress and, most importantly, she is not alone in her battles. Furthermore, she stated that if she is given the opportunity to talk with her future self, she hopes she will not be hard on herself when things do not go as planned. She also hopes that her future self is happy and sees the big picture in every stage of her life.
A second-year Psychology major student shared a similar opinion on the “New year, New me” trend.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is wow. I am amazed by how people reflect on their previous year – how they survived the whole year and how they got to the point they are still able to celebrate another year” she stated as she answered the question on what comes to her mind when she saw “New year, New me” posts on social media feeds. Unlike the Hospitality Management major, she stated that New Year's resolutions have become a part of her life and that she makes them every year. She described herself as someone who enjoys keeping a journal of her daily activities. After reflecting on the previous year, she always plans for the coming year, including her new year's resolution.
It's amazing how she handled everything, even though not all of her New Year's resolutions are fulfilled. "It is okay to fail sometimes as I am the one that sets the goal for myself, and I know why my resolutions were not achieved." She added that unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions could be tried again in the following years. Aside from the discipline and consistency in fulfilling her resolutions, she emphasized that she learned to keep motivated while being kind to herself.
Hospitality Management and Psychology majors believe in making new year's resolutions a reality and have associated advantages and disadvantages. They also stated that it is good to envision your future; plan for the future days so that life has a direction on where to go; however, one must also learn how to deal with failures and disappointments of not being able to fulfill them. It is okay to fail, but we must be kind to ourselves. Things don't have to be perfect, and that doesn't mean we won't be able to achieve them in the future. "Have patience and always be proud of the little achievements."
It is indeed that New Year’s resolution helped these people in their self-growth and development. They would not be the same person as they are today if not for their New Year's resolution. Setting goals changed their lives and played a significant role in their progress.
As we enter the second month of the year, let us remember to be kinder to ourselves. Even if it isn't the first day or month of the year, that doesn't mean we can't strive to be better versions of ourselves. Change and development are not linear processes, but any progress, no matter how small, counts. Resolutions are not made to be fulfilled immediately – every day is a chance to begin.
REFERENCES:
Averous, J. (2014, October 4). Why You Need to Accept Yourself First to be Able to Change | The Fourth Revolution Blog. The Fourth Revolution Blog | Understand How Our World Transforms to Thrive! https://thefourthrevolution.org/wordpress/archives/3914?doing_wp_cron=1674431453.4817500114440917968750
Cherry, K. (2022, November 7). What Is Self-Concept and How Does It Form? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-concept-2795865
Mcleod, S. (2012). Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory of Personality Development. https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
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