I have always thought that New Year’s resolutions were really punishments in disguise. And worse yet, they are mostly self-inflicted.
Traditionally, the resolutions would be aspirational in nature: like exercising an hour a day for two months. A good thing that would improve my life. And I would have the best intentions of following through on it. But then—daily life would interfere. Pre-existing obligations and responsibilities would get in the way of my completing the resolution. In essence, New Year's resolutions set you up for failure. Not the best way to start out a new year.
However, I take a different approach to New Year’s resolutions. Ever since I was a child, I always worked better on an unpleasant or difficult task when there was an enticing reward at the completion. As such, I treat the traditional aspirational NewYear’s resolutions as a means to an end.