Every January, the saying “New year, new me” makes its yearly appearance. It can be seen in social media captions, and in people’s 抱負 (new years resolutions in Japanese). The saying is simple: a new year means a fresh start. But for most students, this phrase has become more of a loop that repeats itself every year.
The popularity of “New year, new me” stems in the feeling of a new start. A new year feels clean. It makes it seem like a new year will start a whole new life. But in reality, very little actually changes overnight.
One student admitted in an interview that every year he sets the same goal: to stop gaming so much and focus more on studying. He recalled how in the beginning of the year he stayed true, and focused on his goals. However, as the year went on, and the stress piled on, he found himself reverting back to the same old habits.
This pattern is common. The phrase is very misleading as “New year, new me” makes it seem like long-term habits are something that can be quit easily. However this could not be further from the truth. A trend that can bee seen is students setting big goals like better grades without fixing the root problem that leads to these results. Without fixing the root cause, none of these new habits stick.
When the “new me” eventually fails, most students just wait for the new year to try again. However, this vicious cycle will keep repeating until the person realizes that they need to reflect. Simply understanding why the old habits are so comfortable shows what needs to be changed.
This doesn’t mean self-improvement is pointless. Wanting to improve is healthy and normal. Especially for students trying to balance academics and hobbies, but meaningful change rarely comes from one big decision made on January 1st.
In conclusion, trying to improve ever year is a very reasonable healthy thing. However, habits are had to break, and a lighthearted goal is certainly not going to change much. As we open up the new year students are encouraged to set attainable goals and to think about the necessary steps to achieve them.
