I’m not sure I have ever made a new year’s resolution that I have kept. Every year, my hopes of eating healthier are derailed by pizza and beer. My efforts to workout daily are sidelined by work and my desire to spend time with friends and family. Last year, I very publicly (in this very column!) resolved to see three shows at the Beckwith Theatre in 2019. As I’m sure you have guessed by now, I failed to do so.

I just can’t seem to keep a new year’s resolution, and I’m not alone. Studies have shown that 80 percent of people will fail to keep to their resolutions within 30 days, according to U.S. News. In the end, only eight percent of people will achieve their new year goals, according to a study conducted by the University of Scranton.

With such high failure rates, I figured I should give myself an easier goal this year — be just a little nicer to myself. While it’s great to have and make goals for ourselves, I’m not going to beat myself up about not meeting every single one.

Of course, I’m still going to better myself in the new year. I’m still going to work toward a healthy diet and exercise because I would like to live a long time. I’m still going to work toward being a better writer and reporter because that is important to me, not to mention a big part of my job. I’m still going to try to be kinder, more patient and more generous with others because I want to be a positive force in the community.

However, to be human is to fail, and I’m not going to become a whole new person just because the calendar told me to. Every time I fail to meet one of my new year’s resolutions, I feel terrible about myself, and I don’t see how that is productive anymore. So, instead of hating myself for skipping that workout, I’m going to love the fact that I have people in my life that I enjoy enough to want to skip that work-out for. Instead of being mad at myself for not being good enough at whatever new hobby I’m trying out in the new year, I’m going to congratulate myself for trying, even though that macramé planter I made looks like a pack of wild dogs attacked it. I’m going to accept my failures, and then get up the next day and try again. Luckily, I have 365 chances to get it right.

In fact, I think if we were all a little kinder to ourselves instead of putting enormous pressure on the date of Jan. 1, more of us might meet our resolutions. When we put so much pressure on resolutions, it is so much easier to write off every stumble as a failure and give up.

So, what are your new year’s resolutions? Are you finally going to run that 5K or take up that new hobby? Or, like me, are you going to be a little bit nicer to yourself and keep trying every day?