New Year’s Resolutions
As the new year of 2023 begins, it gives everyone an opportunity to restart and get their lives back together. To accomplish this, many maintain new year’s resolutions meaning they want to set goals, continue good behavior and practices, or just improve themselves at the start of the new year. By choosing to set new year’s resolutions you are using your self efficiency which is your belief that you can control your motivation and behavior. People’s resolutions may vary from working out more at the gym and eating healthier to spending more time with family. Many think of January 1st as their opportunity to grow from where they left off and keep control over what they want to happen in their life. Although, keeping your new year’s resolutions set in place can be extremely difficult. Below are some steps to maintain your resolutions listed by the New York Times.
- Be specific- When you make a resolution the goal you want to achieve should be clear allowing you to put forth your best effort in achieving it. Rather than just saying you want to eat healthier this year, make yourself a meal plan that you can stick with to maintain this resolution.
- Measurable- You must make sure that your resolution is measurable so that you are able to see change within yourself. If you are not able to see change it is going to make you want to give up, by seeing change it will cause you to want to keep trying and move forward.
- Make it achievable- It is not a terrible thing to give yourself a large goal, but it is better to make it more achievable and realistic, so you are not filled with anger when you are not able to maintain your resolution.
- Time- If your New Year’s resolution is to begin going to the gym more you must realize that it takes around 66 days (about 2 months) to maintain a new habit according to Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London. It is important you realize the time you need to set aside to keep your New Year’s resolution.
According to research, only 16% of people with New Year’s resolutions are able to stick with them throughout the year. This is because people set goals that are unrealistic without excessive time and demanding work as well as making resolutions that are simply too easy causing you to quickly become bored. People tend to blame their failures on not having enough time which is why if you want to see a difference you must put forth the time. It is good to stay around people who encourage you to go for your goals especially when you begin wanting to give up. You cannot let your past failures dictate whether you will go through with your New Year’s resolution, it is better to think of every failure as a time of learning so the same mistakes will not be repeated. Without a major reasoning behind your resolution, your motivation will be little to none. Overall, creating New Year’s resolutions is an effective way to start this year off as you try your best to stick with it.
Below are student’s resolutions for the new year-
Payton Rettich: “My New Year’s Resolution is to lift heavy and become consistent, going to the gym five days a week.”
Sally Jones: “My New Year’s Resolution is to stop caring so much about what others think of me.”
Zachary Veal: “My New Year’s Resolution is to start to focus on my schoolwork more and raise my math grade to a C or above.”
Ava Messing: “My New Year’s Resolution is to stop spending so much money on fast food and begin to save the money I have.”
Kathryn Old: “My New Year’s Resolutions are to travel as much as possible, begin to realize my happiness is worth more than others disappointment, and not be so worried about what is going to happen in the future.”
Jada Rivera: “My New Year’s Resolution is to understand Pre calc better, study more for the class and to lift on my own more often so that I can prepare for college soccer.”
Melayna Gargasoulas: “My New Year’s Resolution is to continue to do good and pay attention in school and work out more by going to the gym.”
Olivia Martin: “My New Year’s Resolution is to start saving my money for college.”
Links used for the article:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas
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Madison Short is a senior at Dakota High School. This year will be her first year as a part of the Dakota Planet. She enjoys many things like traveling,...
