As another new year has begun, many people have set their new resolutions. However, the common resolutions now weren’t the same as in the past. Nowadays, many people tend to focus on their appearance and set goals based on that. What the general trend seems to be is that these resolutions reflect lifestyle as a person and contemporary social issues.

The most common resolutions as of 2014 were as follows: lose weight, get organized, spend less, save more, enjoy life to the fullest, staying fit and healthy, learn something exciting, quit smoking, help others in their dreams, fall in love and spend more time with family.

As we look into the “Diary of a 1950’s Housewife,” the goals and dreams in the mid-20th century show a few differences to that of the 21st century.

Here are the resolutions–peace: in my thoughts through prayer and calmness, patience: with my family, myself, and our illnesses, pardon: of others and myself, pause: before action or speech; pause to see and participate in beauty, prudence: in my finances, diet, and time management, physical plan: exercise, healthy eating, and rest, and Pretty Pampered Princesses: pamper myself and Emily with beauty routines; follow beauty rules.

In contrasting the two different eras, there is more of a focus towards one’s inner self during the “olden days.” But, in the present, the focus is geared more towards physicality and a more selfish mentality. Interestingly, 1950’s resolutions showed an interest towards the wellbeing of families and of one’s personality.

Some similar resolutions that both ages share are that of outer appearance and saving money. These resolutions listed are the hardest ones to keep throughout the year since they have been said year after year. It makes sense that people re-use old resolutions if they fail the first time.

For example, the number one biggest resolution is to lose weight. We see a huge spike in gym goers for the first week of the new year. Then what happens? The number of participants plummet as more and more people ditch working out. They fail the first year but try again the next. When we look at the differences, there is a substantial amount of resolutions that have changed.

So why is there such a huge difference?

Well, with an increasing number of things being created, the tendency is to want it. Back then, life was simple. There was no worrying about your iPhone cracking, getting the new latest game, or stressing out on what filter to use on your photo. Even now we refer to the 1950’s as the “Golden Age.”

As a society, it seems, we’ve gotten more selfish. I’m subject to that as well. Especially with holidays such as Christmas, all I can think about is getting as many gifts as possible.

The fact is that resolutions are hard to achieve and the majority of people that set these goals won’t succeed in any one of them.

So why even bother with setting new year’s resolutions? Ideally, when we set these goals, they drive us towards the direction of success. Although we may not meet these goals the first time through, if we live a healthy life of 80 years, we have many chances to meet these goals.

What people make the mistake of doing when they set these resolutions is that they don’t take action. Without a mentality of “doing”, there won’t be any success. When we fail our goals after the first week, the majority of us will neglect them and go on. However, that’s not what we should be doing.

The people who have the most chances of succeeding are those who try and try again. We might be better off by setting these resolutions more than once a year. So, the lesson learned? Don’t just set new year’s resolutions on January 1st. Set them each month, or even better, every day.