New Years: Fun or Frightful?
- Thursday, December 30 2010 @ 02:23 pm
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,465
The new year is approaching, and with that comes New Years Eve. Ah, pick a New Years Eve cliche: the excitement of getting ready for a big party; wild times under the influence of a little celebratory champagne; the magic of that kiss at midnight.
The only problem, of course, is that if you combine all the cliches you often wind up with a mess. If you have too many expectations placed on this “magical” night you’ll often wind up disappointed and unhappy. Then, depressed, you might overdo it on the celebratory champagne, and that picture-perfect kiss at midnight might actually resemble something more along the lines of a drunk, soggy with tears, throwing themselves at a random person.
How can we avoid kicking off the new year with a disaster? Well, there are a few options. You could stay home altogether, of course, but that doesn’t really seem much fun, and the symbolism is pretty depressing too. I prefer the healthier approach: modify your expectations of that New Years Eve party.
Why do resolutions often fail? Because people expect that they’ll make dramatic life changes (or several) all at once. Instead of attempting a slow, reasonable change, they want instant results, and they pout when they don’t get them.
Similarly, people often expect their New Years Eve to produce the person of their dreams. Not only will they meet this perfect person, it’ll be instant true love. They’ll be kissing by midnight, and they’ll live happily ever after.
So what’s a more reasonable goal? How about this: make a general New Years resolution to get out and meet new people. They don’t even have to be romantic prospects; the more social you are, the more new people you’ll meet, and your overall chances of meeting someone with whom you’ll find a connection will go up.
A New Years Eve party is a prime place to meet new people, but it’s not the only place. Carry the resolution beyond the New Year, beyond January; meet new people. At best you’ll find love; at worst you might make a new friend. And without the added expectations and pressure, your New Years Eve plans might actually turn into a night of fun.
The only problem, of course, is that if you combine all the cliches you often wind up with a mess. If you have too many expectations placed on this “magical” night you’ll often wind up disappointed and unhappy. Then, depressed, you might overdo it on the celebratory champagne, and that picture-perfect kiss at midnight might actually resemble something more along the lines of a drunk, soggy with tears, throwing themselves at a random person.
How can we avoid kicking off the new year with a disaster? Well, there are a few options. You could stay home altogether, of course, but that doesn’t really seem much fun, and the symbolism is pretty depressing too. I prefer the healthier approach: modify your expectations of that New Years Eve party.
Why do resolutions often fail? Because people expect that they’ll make dramatic life changes (or several) all at once. Instead of attempting a slow, reasonable change, they want instant results, and they pout when they don’t get them.
Similarly, people often expect their New Years Eve to produce the person of their dreams. Not only will they meet this perfect person, it’ll be instant true love. They’ll be kissing by midnight, and they’ll live happily ever after.
So what’s a more reasonable goal? How about this: make a general New Years resolution to get out and meet new people. They don’t even have to be romantic prospects; the more social you are, the more new people you’ll meet, and your overall chances of meeting someone with whom you’ll find a connection will go up.
A New Years Eve party is a prime place to meet new people, but it’s not the only place. Carry the resolution beyond the New Year, beyond January; meet new people. At best you’ll find love; at worst you might make a new friend. And without the added expectations and pressure, your New Years Eve plans might actually turn into a night of fun.
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