Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution?
It’s January 1st again, so it’s time to make your annual New Year’s Resolution. In the past, you’ve been extremely unsuccessful and gave up on your resolution within the month. According to The New York Post, only eight percent of people actually achieve their goals, while 80 percent of people fail before the month is over. To me, these statistics are not surprising at all. Through past experiences, I’ve learned about the difficulty of sticking to these strenuous goals.
Looking back at my previous years, I’ve never kept a resolution past February, if that. My resolutions have always been pretty basic, yet I can’t seem to find success in my annual commitments. For example, my resolution last year was to not cram for tests the night before. At the beginning of the new year, I attempted to stick with this goal. Eventually, I went back to my old ways of frantically trying to study for a potentially hard test at 9 p.m. the night before. I wonder if any of my peers have made a resolution? Let’s ask some other freshmen:
Interview #1: Magdalena Rieper
Me: Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? When?
Magdalena: Yes. I made a resolution last year.
Me: What was that resolution?
Magdalena: To stay on top of my schoolwork.
Me: Did you keep this resolution?
Magdalena: Shockingly, yes. I kept the resolution throughout the rest of the school year.
Me: What is your resolution this year?
Magdalena: To keep my schoolwork more organized.
Interview #2: Ailish Moran
Me: Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? When?
Ailish: Yes, every year!
Me: What was that resolution?
Ailish: To stop procrastinating school work.
Me: Did you stick to this resolution?
Ailish: Kind of. I was good for the first two months.
Me: What is your resolution this year?
Ailish: I haven’t come up with a resolution yet. I think I’ll strive to go to bed on time.
Interview #3: Lauren Bull
Me: Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? When?
Lauren: Yes, I’ve made many resolutions throughout my life.
Me: What was that resolution?
Lauren: To eat healthier. I’ve made this resolution each year since 2016.
Me: Were you ever successful in sticking to this resolution?
Lauren: No. Last year, I gave up during the second week of January.
Me: What is your resolution this year?
Lauren: Don’t dwell on the future or the past. Live in the moment!
As you can see, some people are more successful than others in keeping their resolution. Magdalena stuck with her resolution, and it still benefits her today. On the other hand, Lauren failed to achieve the very popular goal of eating healthier. Finally, Ailish was successful at first, but she became less motivated as time went on. Lauren’s resolution is very common; studies show that over 55 percent of people who have resolutions set goals related to health and exercise. No matter which resolution you choose, any aspiration is tricky to stick to! I inspire you to participate in striving to make a New Year’s Resolution. Good luck!