As we are on the cusp of a new semester, we have just experienced one year fold into another. Last year, 2016, is now so “last year.” With the new year, many people say comes a new them. Of course, the new year would not be complete without the resolutions.

People believe that with the beginning of a new year, they will somehow miraculous change the person they were mere days before. People declare that they will eat healthier, stop smoking, be more involved in the community, etc. Endless goals that are set just because the date is changing, which is where I think the problem lies. As we are past New Year’s Day, I am sure that for most people those resolutions have been broken and have been put away until 2017 finds itself at a close.

People declare these lifestyle habits as needing to be changed. They recognize that they need to stop smoking to live a healthier life. They acknowledge that their community needs them. However, they only choose to strive for those things because a new year is beginning. That is not reason enough. They have to have a personal motivation. They have to decide that they want to take action on the things they recognize to need improvement. Rather than waiting for Jan. 1 of whatever respective year, people should start working towards their goals immediately. People also have to decide if their resolutions are something they are willing to commit to; otherwise, the goals they set will meet the same fate as many of these already tossed aside resolutions.

As New Year’s Eve was approaching, one of the best memes I read on my Facebook newsfeed said something to the effect of: “it is amusing to watch people promise change in the new year, when the calendar and the days it lays out are a human construct that have no actual meaning.” This meme encompassed exactly how I feel about the new year.

The new year comes with roughly two months of writing the wrong year in the date. It comes with the cycle of holidays starting over.

The new year itself can serve to some as the push they need to make changes in their lives. It can be representative of a new beginning. However, for the vast majority, it is actually a crutch. Rather than making changes as we see things that need improvement, we just shrug it off and say that we will make that change in the new year. Then when we fall short, we say there is always next year.

I think that it is better to make small and attainable goals throughout the year as we see things in our lives that we wish to improve. On March 23, if you realize you have not had vegetables in three weeks, you should start making strides towards a healthier diet, making small changes along the way. I think that those goals and those actions will be much more effective than setting a new year’s resolution.

So, all of this is to say that every day of the year should be taken advantage of. We should push ourselves to set and meet goals every day, not just New Year’s Day. We should strive for improvement all the time. New year’s resolutions are infamous, but so is the failure of those resolutions.