By: Payton Hefright
Ask yourself a question: Do you feel as though you are currently the best version of yourself you can be? Everyone has room for improvement, and we’re approaching the time of the season that means new beginnings. If there are some weak spots in your personality that you’re looking to strengthen, a go-to method of change for many people is the “New Year’s Resolution.”
However, the idea of a New Year’s resolution has garnered a bad reputation amongst many people. A common experience is being unable to keep their resolutions. In order to get to the bottom of what goes wrong with New Year’s resolutions, and to maybe get some new ideas for that perfect goal to set, The Squire interviewed a few people on their past and present resolutions. Junior, Nataly Clark, shared, “My New Year’s resolution is to get fit, eat better food, and avoid dairy because it makes my stomach blow up.” Upon being asked why she chose this as her resolution, Nataly replied, “Because if you live healthy, you live happy.” Nataly certainly seemed to have faith in herself, saying that the key was, “to find inspiration, like people that inspire you.” She also says a big motivator is that, “she owes it to herself.”
To get an adult’s perspective, The Squire also asked Eisenhower staff member, Mrs. Slattery, a few questions on her resolutions. She answered that every year her New Year’s resolution is, “to work out more, and lose weight,” because, “she’s gained weight since having a kid,” she admitted with a laugh. According to her, one reason it’s hard for a lot of people to follow through with their resolutions is simply not having enough time, which most Americans can certainly agree with. Her advice is, “Make your resolution something you really want to accomplish, and stick to it. Set aside time for it, and don’t give up too easily.”
According to vitagene.com, the most common New Year’s resolutions for Americans are:
- Exercise to get in shape
- Diet to lose weight
- Save money
- Eat healthier (in general)
- Something for self-care
Some less common/unique ones are:
- Read more
- Eat out less
- Watch more documentaries
- Go to bed earlier
- Do something kind every day
Every year, these are many of the resolutions that people set their minds to and work hard on. However, vitagene.com’s data claims that 36.6% of Americans report that they generally are only able to keep theirs for one month or less. 81.3% are able to keep them for six months or less, and only 11.4% say they’re able to make permanent changes.
Lifestyle changes can be hard, so here are some tips to keep that resolution going. First of all, set reasonable goals and maybe increase your exercise from 30 minutes to a couple hours throughout the year. Next, don’t think of one failure as a reason to give up. If you eat one donut, or forget to practice trombone one night, there’s no reason to eat the whole box or throw out your instrument. Forgiving yourself for small mistakes is an important key to progress. Finally, encourage your friends and/or family members to take on your resolution with you. Working towards any goal is easier when you have other people supporting you.
The Squire 