This New Year, Try Making Your Resolutions About Others

A time to look outward when everyone else is looking inward

Photo by Andreas Rasmussen on Unsplash

Every year, millions of people around the world make themselves New Year’s Resolutions, and then millions of people subsequently fail to follow through on them. The thing about New Year’s Resolutions is that they are inherently selfish. People start the New Year by looking inward at themselves (as if they don’t spend the rest of the year navel gazing as well) rather than outward at the world around them. Perhaps the reason that people fail at their resolutions so often is because they are so selfish. Doing things for oneself is never as satisfying or gratifying as doing something for someone else.

This year, what if people resolved to make their personal resolutions about others? What if we all made a list of things that we want to do to help other people rather than doing things to help ourselves? I think the world will look much different in 2024 than it did in 2023 if people resolve to improve their effect on others rather than try and simply kick bad habits.

Selfish Resolutions

Forbes did a survey asking people what their number one New Year’s Resolution will be for the upcoming year. They compiled fourteen different responses, and thirteen (93%) are focused…