It seems as though every time a new year rolls around, millions of people try and fail to improve their lives in an effort to show that they are capable of doing so. A noble cause, yes, but what is the point in attempting a personal goal if it is practically guaranteed to result in complete and utter failure?

The failure of resolutions is apparent, to the point where the word “resolution” has a negative connotation as a feeble attempt at self-improvement. New Year’s resolutions should not have this negative connotation, and yet it is unknown whether or not the perspective will ever change.

One of the most common acts of self-inflicted collapse would have to be gym memberships. Statistically speaking, over one third of all canceled gym memberships occur in January, and that is not just a coincidence. Because of the monthly subscription that most gyms establish, it is easy to determine that the massive amount of people quitting in January is a result of simply giving up on New Year’s resolutions.

Another popular resolution is dieting, and as everyone knows, nearly every diet fails, especially those started in winter, due to the hibernating nature we mammals go through. That is not to say that diets are a bad idea, and in fact, if they are done right, they can actually be quite beneficial. The only problem is again, starting something with no real intention of finishing.

So why do we as members of western culture fall for New Year’s resolutions year in and year out? Perhaps it is a sign that modern people are optimistic for the future, but also that not much effort is put into actually improving the future. Everyone wants to be a better person, but few actually bring that notion to fruition.

Now to those who do set themselves a goal every year and actually achieve it, congratulations. Honestly, anyone who can fulfill a yearly lifestyle change is incredible; I, for one, cannot accomplish such a feat. That is the thing, though; it should not be incredible, but instead commonplace. We live in a time in which those who follow through with life improvements are a small minority of everyone who makes the attempt.

There is nothing that can be done about this problem, apart from not giving resolutions as much of a bad rap as they have. With the whole world going against these honest attempts, it is no wonder that people give up on their goals. Developing a culture of pessimism helps no one. Sure, I might be a hypocrite for saying it, but lay off of others’ resolutions; they might actually pull through.