For many of us, the pandemic has been a time of deep reflection. With lockdowns imposed and furlough providing a security net for hundreds of millions of people, the streets emptied faster than a saloon before a shoot-out in a wild western thriller. This allowed for a great transformation in people’s lives, boiling down their existence to a dog walk once a day, proving sourdough between zoom meetings and dusting off ‘ticket to ride’ for much-needed family entertainment. The cities were emptied, and the countryside merged into Tolkien’s Shire, with people taking on the habits of the humble hobbit, eating, drinking and attempting to be socially distanced to anything outside the boundaries of the village. This convergence with a simplified way of life and in places with access to the countryside stimulated a deeper connection between people and nature. When it came to people to leave this condition of dormancy, long sheltered in sleepy towns and villages, there was a shift in perspective. Returning to the office, commuting on the once familiar 6:30 train from Bristol to London or having to hoover up your pre-made meal in a 30 min time slot, meant that many people re-evaluated what they want from life and ultimately considered a change of course for the future.
This systematic rethink led to 4 million Americans a month and 130,000 Britain’s a month leaving their job in 2021 (The Economist, 2022). This has been dubbed the great resignation, where people donned their jackets and triumphantly marched to the exit door. Some people did it in recognition that they could continue their job as a software developer in the sun-kissed island of Bali (and catch some of the surf in their lunch break), others realised that waiting on OAP’s for the minimum wage was not fulfilling the satisfaction they desired. All in all, the pandemic has unleashed a hungry desire for change and like the shaking of a bottle of Nyetimber, once the cork is popped it is hard to prevent the flow of English sparkling wine from changing the colour of the ceiling. So, what does this all mean for New Year resolutions?
It is easy to think of the new year as being the only time of reflection and resolution, yet the pandemic has shown that given the time and space, it is surprisingly straightforward to soul search. In 2016, of the 41% of Americans who make new year’s resolutions only 9% feel they were successful by the end of the year. In addition, only 8% of people who make resolutions stick to them. Frankly, the statistics for making new year’s resolutions don’t do much to support the practice. The reasons for this vary, but it can be broken down into problems with monitoring progress, unrealistic resolutions at the outset, impatience and more often than not, simply forgetting. The bubbly optimism of welcoming the new year in with family and friends is often forgotten by the time the January pay packet arrives to relive your broken bank balance that has been stretched thinner than Napoleon’s supply routes in 1812. In addition to this, new year’s resolutions typically centre on losing weight, exercising more, saving money, spending more time with family/ friends, utilising leisure time and reading more. So why do people make new year’s resolutions in the knowledge that the failure rate is so high? The likely answer is that it helps mark the change in the year and reflects the character they want to become. A suggestion that could catalysis a positive and longer-lasting change would be to enact the lessons we learnt in our great hibernation. If you create the time, the environment and the space, you can learn a lot about yourself and from there you can catapult yourself into meaningful change. This could mean going for a 20-minute walk in the park during a lunch break or spending 10 minutes of being mindful of the present. The truth is, you do not have to wait for the chime of 12 O clock on 31st December to make a resolution, you only need the right space to realise it.
The pandemic changed a great many things but one of its lasting impacts was the way it made people revaluate their way of life. At this time of year, many people strive to realise their potential and are resolute to push on with changes to their lives. However, it would be better to realise that there is no need to wait until the start of the new year for change to occur, that change can begin as soon as the desire for a new direction is detected.
Written by Henri Willmott