Point-Counterpoint: Are New Year’s Resolutions Beneficial?

Yes – Evan Courtney:

A New Year’s resolution is traditionally something that is never taken seriously. At the start of a new year, people make promises to themselves that they’re going to purge bad habits, find a new hobby, or most commonly, that they’re going to lose weight. While most people reject New Year’s resolutions as a trivial endeavor, they’re forgetting the crucial values that are learned from it.

New Year’s resolutions, despite their reputation for being neglected by February, still serve a meaningful purpose in people’s lives. The act of setting a goal for yourself can create a sense of direction in a person’s life. When someone sets a goal for themselves, they are actively engaging in self-reflection. Whether they’re making an effort to overcome a habit, try something new, or improve their health, they show that they are capable of growth. This mindset can raise self-esteem because it reinforces the idea that one has control over one’s actions and can shape their future self.

Resolutions can develop essential skills for life, like discipline and resilience, besides just raising someone’s self-esteem. It is a great way to learn these skills through working toward a personal goal, no matter how insignificant or easy it may be. One is taught the importance of achieving the goal through careful planning and management. Even if the person loses their motivation, the fact remains that they still made an effort and broke their goal into simple steps to make it attainable. Although some may fail to achieve their resolutions, the valuable planning skills ingrained in setting those goals are far more important than the goal itself.

Many people also discover new interests and learn fascinating things during their journey. People who hope to change their weight through dieting or exercise might learn new health routines to make that goal more attainable. Someone who hopes to read 100 books by the end of the year might pick up an interest in movies or discover a new book genre that interests them, further demonstrating how with challenge comes discovery and learning.

While many tend to dismiss New Year’s resolutions as something "inconceivable," they should instead be embraced for the values and lessons that are learned by setting and pursuing goals. Whether or not you manage to stay true to your resolution, you are still making progress and creating change in your life that can lead to long-term improvement.

No – Modesto Bigas-Seda:

As each year ends, many people feel the pressure to set goals for the year ahead. In theory, New Year's resolutions sound like an amazing idea that can bring dramatic benefits to one's life. Unfortunately, contrary to what most people think, they often do more harm than good.

According to an article by Forbes, 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by January, highlighting how unrealistic these goals are. Every January, people pressure themselves to make dramatic changes overnight, as if the start of a new calendar year could magically transform them. When those goals inevitably become overwhelming and doubt creeps in, failure feels personal and can truly damage someone's confidence. Resolutions also create the misconception that growth only matters once a year, when in reality, true improvement comes from steady habits and small, consistent choices.

Additionally, resolutions often come from shame-based motivation. Shame creates anxiety, not growth. When people attempt to change because they feel embarrassed or insecure, their goals become tied to fear rather than a genuine desire to improve. For example, the most common resolutions are centered on losing weight and quitting habits that are seen as unhealthy. However, shame is not a good motivator, and anything that makes us feel bad about ourselves ultimately places us on an unstable foundation to change. Furthermore, when one is motivated to make a change based on shame or insecurities and ends up failing to make that change, more self-doubt and shame begin to plague the mind.

So, instead of setting ourselves up for unnecessary guilt by February, we are much better off focusing on realistic goals we can build gradually, without the countdown clock and the pressure to reinvent ourselves in one day.