Resolutions for the New Year

Wishful thinking or an effective self-improvement method?

It’s out with the old and in with the new.

As 2017 comes to a close, many people are look to set New Year’s resolutions for 2018.

Every year, people set unrealistic goals in hopes to make a positive change in their daily life, and every year they fail miserably. Many people’s resolutions would be so vague, ambitious, and unrealistic, they would have no choice but to give up by February. Because of this, only 8% of people who set New Year’s resolutions actually reach their end goals.

Freshman Adam Jakom said his New Year’s resolution is to not have a resolution. “New Year’s resolutions are stupid and idiotic,” said Jakom, “If you want to do something, just do it. Why do you have to just all of sudden say you want to do something at the beginning of the year?”

Freshman Sterling Howard has a similar outlook.

“I don’t make New Year’s resolutions,” said Howard. “I never set them, and the ones I do set are so outlandish that they would never get done.”

So, if New Year’s resolutions are just useless traditions that set yourself up for failure, then why would anybody set them to begin with?

“It’s probably just something social. They probably think it’s cool to have a New Year’s resolution,” said Howard.

“People try to give themselves a sense of fulfillment and try to act like they are doing something,” said sophomore Ronni Pitts. “Often times they try to convince themselves that they can stray from their habits.”

Although New Year’s resolutions tend to be just foolish traditions, they are not all bad. The New Year represents a new beginning, the perfect time to make a positive change in their life. This is why we set resolutions. To ring in the New Year with hope and determination. So, is there a productive way to participate in the holiday festivities by setting a year-long goal, or is it too much to handle?

The answer: There is always room for change! Quite often, people think that their resolution needs to be absolute and ambitious, causing them to lose interest, become discouraged, or give up. The best way to fix this is to be flexible. Having flexibility in your resolution allows for you to reset, alter, and customize your goals to fit your lifestyle, circumstances, and schedule. For example, instead of completely excluding sugar from your diet, ween yourself off of it, giving yourself small proportions. These daily adjustments will give you better end results and are far more effective than an unplanned wish-list.

“Stay motivated. Positive vibes, positive people,” said junior Stacy Styles.

“Everyone can succeed if they put a lot of effort into it,” said Pitts.

So, if you plan on setting a New Year’s resolution in 2018, don’t be discouraged that it doesn’t work out the way you thought. It doesn’t need to. Go ahead and change it up. Every day is a new beginning.