Are New Year resolutions still necessary?

Eseohe Ebhota & Bamas Victoria

For many, the start of a new year offers a fresh start and an opportunity to review goals, re-arrange their priorities and probably stop bad habits.

While the end of the year is a great time to pause and reflect on all that you have accomplished, this often leads to an annual list of resolutions that are rarely achieved. Making New Year’s resolutions has become a tradition where people make promises or set goals to achieve something, for instance like changing a specific kind of life style on January 1st, each year.

Due to this trend, LifeXtra spoke to people and we got interesting responses from those who felt they were necessary and others who felt they were not.

Lubo Felicia, an Abuja-based business woman said, “I used to make them, not because they were trending. Then I stopped because it was condemned by many. But this New Year, I am making some and I’m doing so because I want to keep myself in check. I want to kick out procrastination from my life, so in a way I think they are necessary”.

Another respondent, Sylvia Okopie, a lawyer stated that she had gone through phases of resolutions and now, she sets her goals for the year with tentative dates for achieving them. “One of my goals is to educate my mind more this year. According to Da Vinci, as metals rust when unused and water loses its purity when stagnant, so does the mind loses its veracity when not constantly exercised.

“So my advice is people should set to achieve them, and also get someone that would keep them accountable, while achieving their goals,” she concluded.

Also speaking to LifeXtra, Ivy Grace Oche, a civil servant said “I think it is necessary because people still make them; I do too. In fact, two of my resolutions for this year is I will not spend any money on anything I did not budget for. The second is, to start something meaningful, which has always been on my mind.”

Edor John, a Lafia-based business man said “For me, New Year resolutions are not necessary but for those who feel comfortable making them, it helps them make projections which serve as a guide for how their activities that year would be. It’s not about making these resolutions; what matters is being able to stick to them and meeting up your target”

Kenechukwu ‘KC’ Ogbuagu , creator of Nibcard games also told LifeXtra they are necessary but “a lot of people will agree it’s not effective as most times, there is no accountability structure built around new year’s resolution.”

Abbas Ibrahim, an airport security added “Yes, I think new year resolutions are necessary because it’s guides you and gives the person the proper direction a person is heading to so that that person can achieve set goals. It can also be reminder to the resolution. Besides, New Year resolutions are a blue print of set goals and objectives.”