Why do we make New Years resolutions if we have no plans on keeping them?

Happy New Year everybody! I hope everyone had a good new year, didn't get (too) drunk, and celebrated the arrival of 2012 in style?

Personally, we went to a family house party, just a small gathering with the kids running about, the adults joining in with the party games and all having a merry time.

Just like everybody else, as the bells tolled at midnight, everybody across the world made their New Years Resolutions, and probably by about the 3rd Janurary most of these resolutions have been broken...

So why do people make big life-changing plans when we are moving from one year into the next?

I can totally accept moving into a new year can mark a fresh new start, the chance to make the decision to change your life for the better or the chance to quit a bad habit.

However, if these changes are all swept under the carpet under a week, is there any point in making them in the first place?

Whether you have decided to quit drinking / smoking / unhealthy eating or start going to the gym more often, these kind of changes will not happen if you decide to change it overnight.
Making these kind of changes will take time, and maybe New Year isn't the most sensible time to decide this is how you are going to live your life...

The chances are, if you were not prepared to make these changes in the previous year, they won't happen in the new year...

Should "New Years Resolutions" be disbanded in that case? They give people a false hope that because the calendar has changed so will they... Or does it give people a new hope to find the courage to make the changes required to live a happy life?

Your comments please.

- TheLittlerich.