For many people, the start of the new year brings hope and a fresh start. …or does it? For a long time, people have begun the coming year with resolutions to become better, do better, or have a better life. But as times evolve and generations change, is this tradition dating all the way back to 4,000 years ago a waste of time?
We surveyed students from WHS on what they thought of this long-standing custom, and if they make New Year’s resolutions. Ninth grader Norah Kelley said she has, and does, make resolutions. This year she wanted to read more as she felt she could’ve read a lot more last year but didn’t. Another student said, “I like to make them but it’s more in the back of my mind, I don’t go out of my way to follow through with them.”
Making New Year’s resolutions, and making time to achieve them are two very different aspects of this annual tradition. Most people make a list of resolutions but struggle to keep them, so we asked WHS students if they were successful in following through with any of their resolutions. One student said, “No, I have not been successful in following through with my New Year’s resolutions because I forgot about them over time”. Most people do not actually end up pursuing their resolutions. Research shows that 43% of people quit their resolutions by the end of January, and only 9% actually achieve these resolutions by the end of the year.
Although most people make their list of resolutions long and complex, sometimes only following through with one of these resolutions can have positive outcomes. Ninth grader, Lilia Sahli states, “I was kind of successful. I only followed through with one of them, but it made me more confident to make more resolutions in the future.” Making your lists smaller can sometimes help those that want to start seriously pursuing their resolutions. Once you can achieve a small list of a few smaller resolutions, you have the determination to complete a shorter list, with more productive goals.
But even if people make resolutions- does it really make them more productive? “It’s like half and half,” says freshman Lilia Sahli. “But mostly it does have an effect. I think it works out because it’s a good way to make a goal for yourself that you want to achieve.” Lilia believes goals are an amazing way to help strive for something better. Most research says that goals boost performance, and can help direct you on your path forward.
But even with initial motivation- do people really stick to their resolutions? Ninth grader Imani Felton seems to think people have good intentions but have other things on their mind. “People try to stick to their resolutions- but just don’t,” says Imani. “I think people tend to forget about the resolutions they’ve made and move on.” Some studies agree with Imani- a study done by Columbia University showed that about only 10% of people stick to their resolutions.
So, are New Years’ aspirations simply empty hopes for improvement? One freshman said otherwise: “I think it can make people more productive, but it all really depends on how motivated you are.” She also adds that people easily get overambitious- making resolutions that are too difficult to achieve can ultimately lead to failure. While resolving to become a millionaire sounds great- you can’t just wish things into existence.
So why do we even make resolutions if there is little hope of actually completing them? Out of all the different reasons that people make resolutions- one stands clear. The new year brings a new start for people – it’s opportunity to change themselves. So even if people forget about their resolutions- deep down they have started on the path of being more successful in the future. Setting short term goals that are fairly broad and open-ended, but that help work towards a goal for the next decade- should bring success, maybe not in the way intended, but certainly in hope of the future. So resolve to get better grades, a job, or help the community – the choice is yours- choose your future.
