Written in collaboration with Bates Commons Healthy Eating Wellness Society.

To be completely honest, I don’t really like slogans or sayings. They get stuck in my head and seem to emphasize rhyme over reason. However, when I came across this rendition of a New Year’s welcome, I was pleasantly surprised. “New Year, True You” is a relatively recent phrase used to oppose the rigidity of the traditional “New Year, New You” that we have all heard. Instead of encouraging deliberate change, this amended phrase aims to eradicate the obligation to entirely reinvent yourself as soon as we enter January of each year. It strives to help us practice being comfortable with what makes us our authentic selves and ultimately moves away from unrealistic goal setting.  

That being said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to change aspects of yourself. In fact, I am currently in the process of adding many new habits into my life that will promote my well-being. However, I want to encourage us all to practice setting intentions around our goals, making sure that they align with our individual values. Too often we get caught up in what other people are doing to become “better” versions of themselves. I firmly believe that other people can inspire us and teach us important lessons about growth, but at the end of the day, it is the individual who must stay true to who they are. 

Beyond a literal exploration, I wanted to get a sense of how students at Bates interpreted and related to this new saying to evaluate its effectiveness. In no particular order here are some of the responses I gathered when polling students on the phrase “New Year, True You”:

• “You don’t have to change to be happy with who you are”
• “You don’t have to change if you don’t want to, you don’t have to change to be the most true version of yourself” 
• “My true self is an evolving process… Try picking a word to describe yourself, a value you want to return back to and guide the evolution” 
• “It provides a more neutral approach to the new year”
• “This saying makes me feel more empowered, [and] more motivated to change the narrative around self-improvement,”

While it might take a while to adjust to this new mindset, it is important to prioritize being our authentic self over changing who we are at our core. Setting goals is a great way to build healthy habits as we head into the New Year, but only if we approach this process with compassion and a return to our inner peace.