View source for New Year's Resolution

{{trope}}
A popular tradition for people to make at [[New Year Has Come|the start of a new year]]. A new year means a new start, and a new me- so time to drop habit X!

Almost always ends with [[Failure Is the Only Option]], in part because characters often set lofty goals for themselves that require more motivation beyond "hey it's a new year, better make a resolution". Will sometimes be referenced several episodes later.

Occasionally a character will have fun with this by making resolutions for other people. Naturally, yours truly is a perfect paragon that cannot be improved.

Compare [[Compressed Vice]] and [[Compressed Abstinence]].

{{noreallife|[[Omnipresent Tropes|we'd be here all day]].}}

{{examples}}

== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Bridget Jones]]' Diary''
{{quote|'''Bridget:''' New Year's resolution: drink less... and quit smoking... and quit talking total nonsense to strangers... actually, quit talking, full stop.}}
* ''[[Alfie]]''
{{quote|'''Alfie:''' In a flash I have my New Year's resolution: Aim higher.}}
* ''[[Heavenly Creatures]]''
{{quote|'''Pauline Parker:''' My New Year's resolution is a far more selfish one than last year. It is to make my motto, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow, you may be dead.}}
* ''[[The Thin Man (film)|After the Thin Man]]''
{{quote|'''Nick Charles:''' Have you made any New Year's resolutions?
'''Nora Charles:''' Not yet. Any complaints or suggestions? [snip]
'''Nick:''' Well, you don't scold, you don't nag, and you look far too pretty in the mornings.
'''Nora:''' All right, I'll remember: Must scold, must nag, mustn't be too pretty in the mornings. }}

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Frasier]]'' episode "The Fight Before Christmas"
{{quote|'''Gil Chesterson:''' My wife and I made a New Year's resolution: Deb and I have joined a gym to slim down and buff up.}}
* ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'' episode "Hilary Gets a Life"
{{quote|'''Hilary Banks:''' I'm making a New Year's resolution to find a job... right after Easter.}}
* ''[[Friends]]'': "The One With All the Resolutions"

== [[Literature]] ==
* In one of the [[Babysitters Club|Babysitters Little Sister]] books, Karen spends the month of January cracking down on all the members of her family who haven't been keeping up with their New Year's Resolutions, but they retaliate by pulling out Karen's own list of resolutions, which has been heavily altered to give herself loopholes.

== Music ==
* [[Five Iron Frenzy]]'s "New Year's Eve".
{{quote|It's New Year's Eve and I'm full of empty promises
I half pretend to keep this time
just like last year. }}

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* Calvin from ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'' often made his New Year's Resolution not to change at all, but to force everyone else to change.
* Lucy from ''[[Peanuts]]'' also did that at least once. She handed out sheets of paper.
* In ''[[For Better or For Worse]]'', the Pattersons discuss what resolutions they are making, but while most are setting up lofty ones, Michael resolves to do things like watch more tv and hang out more with his friends. When his mother confronts him that those resolutions are worthless, Michael responds smugly, "I know, but at least ''mine'' are going to be kept."
* In one ''[[FoxTrot]]'' strip, [[Bratty Teenage Daughter]] Paige tells her parents that her resolution is to not let [[Annoying Younger Sibling]] Jason bother her anymore. Then Jason tells them that his resolution is to mess with Paige even more. Father Roger comments "This is going to be a real battle of wills" while mother Andy breaks out the medicine and says "More like 'pills'."

== [[Web Comics]] ==
* The practice of making New Year's Resolutions for ''other'' people is discussed in [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=227 this] ''[[Dinosaur Comics]]'' strip.
* The cast of ''[[Sequential Art (webcomic)|Sequential Art]]'' [http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=225 tend to amend their lists quickly] (see the next two comics).
* ''[[Cyanide & Happiness]]'' presents... hmm... [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1905/ maybe next year].
* ''[[The Optimist]]'' resolves to do or not do things every 365 days or so [http://the-opt.com/?p=1229 here] and [http://the-opt.com/?p=107 here].
* In ''[[Sinfest]]'' "[[Devil in Plain Sight|Big D]]" also [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209162356/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=721 has one]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209184421/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=1439 Monique's] just keeps the status quo.
* ''Snafu'' reminds us: [http://snafu-comics.com/swmcomic/daaaaaaah/ bunnies aren't good at New Years resolutions].
* ''[[Devil Bear]]'' has [http://www.thedevilbear.com/b/comic/dog-training/ one of those] shredded [[A Dog Ate My Homework|by Cerbutt]], which [[Sloth|Helle Belle]] approves.

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Batman: The Animated Series|The New Batman Adventures]]'' episode "Holiday Knights"
{{quote|'''[[The Joker]]:''' I'm interrupting the Toilet Bowl to bring you my very special New Year's resolution: Ahem, starting tonight at midnight, I, your loving uncle Joker, do solemnly vow not to kill anyone for a whole year. Which means I'm going to have to work extra fast to bump off a few more of you today.}}
* ''[[Peanuts|Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!]]''
{{quote|'''Peppermint Patty:''' Have you made any New Year's resolutions, Chuck?
'''Charlie Brown:''' Yes. You know how I always dread the whole year? Well, this time I'm only going to dread one day at a time. }}

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Motivation Index]]
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