It’s a noble thing to want to be a better version of you. January 1^st is the day the Gregorian calendar tells us we are starting the cycle anew: one year gone, another fresh start to come. This naturally causes us to reflect on traits that may not be serving us anymore and inspires us to change that trait.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that January is the busiest time at gyms and, as a current employee of a juice bar, I can tell you it’s by far our busiest time for juice sales and cleanses.

But change is a gradual thing. January is the busiest time for these places because, inevitably, we fall back into our old habits. How many people even remember what their NYRs were last year? Point is, we forget. That’s why I think the craze of resolving to improve is overrated, and that’s why I don’t do it.

I strive to be a better person every day I’m alive, and I’m constantly reflecting on myself with this in mind. It shouldn’t take a new year to ask how I could do things differently.  Some common themes in my own life are having more patience, slowing down my life, listening to my body more. And these are things that I struggle with every day of the year.

NYRs don’t last, and that’s my problem with them. They don’t last because you can’t all the sudden decide you want to be a different person and—poof!—you’re a new you. The truth is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and self-reflection to actually let go of old habits and develop new ones. It might even take more than just one year.

New Year’s Day is a spiritual time because this is when people slow down to consider how to live and be better than they were. But New Year’s Day shouldn’t be the only time this happens. If you’re making a resolution this year, resolve to resolve every day, and then maybe you’ll see those resolutions turn into reality.