With 2012 coming to an end a major topic of discussion is New Year’s Resolutions. The beginning of each year marks a new beginning for people. Therefore they set goals or what are known as resolutions for the upcoming year.

Among the popular New Year’s Resolutions are things like dieting, exercising, and saving money. But, why is it that for many people the beginning of the year is the only time to make changes? Why is it that changes cannot be made throughout the whole year? Why does a set date on a calendar determine when people choose to change their lifestyles for the better?

For some the new year resolutions they make are not only to make them happier, but sometimes they can life changing. For example an extremely overweight person may make a resolution to start eating healthy. The reason they chose to eat healthy at this time is not because they want to. It is simply because stating a new year resolution is a popular thing to do.

Take a smoker for example. For years this person chosen to smoke rather then take measures to stop and become healthy. So why is that when the new year begins suddenly they say they are going to quit?

While these changes may might their lives a bit easier and will certainly improve their health, those are not the motivating factorrs. For a number of people New Year’s Resolutions are goals they have hoped to achieve all throughout the year before as well. Dieting, for example, people do not just wake up on New Year’s Day look and the mirror and say, “Oh today I better start dieting.”

Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions float in peoples minds throughout the previous year. However, when the new year begins suddenly everyone thinks they are going to make dramatic life changes in order to achieve their goals. Now for years it has been observed that the goals of the new year only last a few weeks.

Usually by the time a holiday or party rolls around the dieting suddenly disappears. And when people realize they have a job to go to and kids to take care of their thought of going to the gym does not seem like a top priority.

If someone actually wants to change their life and improve their health their reasoning should not be because it is the new year. While some people do stick to their resolutions and are able to make changes this is not the case for a majority of people.

So next time you are planning on changing your life for the better don’t say, “I’ll wait for the new year.” The new year is not always a motivating factor. Therefore, people should become healthy not because the calendar year has changed, but because their brain is telling them that with these changes they can now live a longer and happier life.