Debunking the ‘New Year, New Me’ Myth

“Calendar years are a social construct.” says a fellow Gen Z-er

It’s that time again: everyone’s cracking open fresh notebooks, firing up note apps, or plastering sticky notes on mirrors with ambitious goals for the new year. You know the drill. But let’s be honest: most of those lists never make it past February. By March, they’re crumpled in some drawer, a shrine to our overconfidence. And the stats back it up. According to a 2023 Forbes Health poll, nearly 92% of resolutions don’t last the year. About 8% fold within a month, while only 1% make it the full 12. Brutal.

So why do we keep failing? Simple: resolutions often stay as ideas, not habits. It’s easy to scribble down “work out more” or “eat clean,” but it’s a whole other beast to turn those into daily rituals. Habits, the stuff you do on autopilot, make up 40% of our daily actions. “The problem is, people don’t focus on the exact behaviors they need to develop,” says Justin Hale, a speaker and adviser at Crucial Learning, a US-based platform that offers courses and training in communication and leadership. “They don’t create a plan to make those behaviors habitual.” Without that framework, those shiny new goals? Dead on arrival.

Here’s a wild idea: instead of aiming for a laundry list of transformations, pick one thing. Start small. Focus on building a habit, not ticking off a goal. Maybe it’s drinking an extra glass of water every day or cutting down your screen time by 15 minutes. It’s not glamorous, but it’s doable—and sustainable.

This year, forget the grand declarations and Instagrammable goals. Instead, aim for something that doesn’t demand a whole new you. After all, maybe the current you just needs a little tweaking—not a complete overhaul.

With all this in mind, we couldn’t resist asking a few people how they feel about this whole circus. Below, eight Gen-Zs share their thoughts on why they don’t believe in New Year resolutions. 

Farida, 26

“Honestly, I don’t believe in them. I think setting goals is good—it gives you direction—but resolutions don’t necessarily make you work harder. For me, a new year’s more about applying lessons you’ve already learned. It’s not about starting from scratch but doing better with what you’ve got.”

Yasmine, 25

“Resolutions fail because they’re often unrealistic. People need to set attainable goals and figure out what they actually want, not what they think they’re supposed to want. Comparison plays a big role. Everyone’s trying to match someone else’s highlight reel instead of focusing on their own path. A new year feels like a fresh start, but people need to be kinder and more honest with themselves.”

Nadine, 29

“I don’t do resolutions anymore. Instead, I set goals every three or six months and check in on my progress. Spoiler: I rarely hit them all. One resolution I always fail at is weight loss. I’ve finally decided to stop punishing myself for it. This year, I’m buying clothes that actually fit and committing to treating my body better, without the pressure.”

Morwan, 23

“It’s meaningless. If you want to do something, you can start any time. Why wait for January 1st?”

Ahmed, 21

“Resolutions are just talk. Life’s unpredictable. I’m not saying you shouldn’t set goals, but you never know what’s coming.”

Simone, 27

“Calendar years are a social construct. Just achieve the goal/resolution you wanna achieve.”

Rasha, 31

“New Year’s resolution is just a reminder of what we need to change or modify in our lives. It works with some people, who are really motivated and disciplined people, but usually don’t with others. In conclusion, I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, I believe if you want to change anything in ourselves we can do it anytime of the year, we just need to have the intention and start.”

Sohaila, 26

“I think new year resolutions are a good way to start something because it’ll be day 1 of a new year, it’s much easier to finish something you started at the beginning than it is mid year (not saying it’s not possible).”

 

 

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