With a new year comes a fresh start and, inevitably, so do resolutions. Countless people utilize the new year to accomplish major goals or different lifestyles, but the lack of execution often leads to the question of whether these resolutions are actually productive or are only an extension of a hopeless trend.
In a study, an abysmal 4% of new year’s resolutioners actually committed to their resolutions after six months from their starting date. Considering most people worldwide typically have some type of resolution in mind, it is odd that the statistic is so low.
Poor resolution turnout can be attributed to qualities such as laziness, outside influences, a change in priorities and other factors. The whole concept of a new year and a fresh start can seem intriguing to many, but the idea of change itself is too much to commit to.
“Last year my new year’s resolution was to lift 3 times a week,” stated PV senior Nathan Tillman. “I started off strong but eventually I got busy and couldn’t keep up with it.”
People always want change, but they never want to change. Society is immersed in instant gratification, killing the idea of slow and steady individual improvement. Besides, a new year is 365 days, so no resolution is expected to be achieved in a week or even a month.
Tillman saw how long-term results could be frustrating. “Whenever I make a goal I expect to see results fast. But new year’s resolutions aren’t meant to be achieved early, so after a couple of months it becomes really easy to lose patience and motivation,” Tillman expressed.
As stated in a 2021 resolution statistics, three out of the five most popular resolutions involve physical health in exercise and dieting. Although these are excellent resolutions to achieve long-term, they lack specification and organization in how better health will be obtained.
This issue is not even specific to fitness-related goals, as planning and specification are applicable to every resolution. If someone wants to get in better shape, they must plan out how they will get their fitness and nutrition as well as stay afloat academically or professionally. If there is no strategy that will accommodate one’s personal schedule, then there is no way the resolution can be achieved.
Lack of strategy can also be connected to outside influences and priorities pushing away from a successful resolution. A poorly conceived plan paired with friends who do not support a resolution or other tasks that take precedence over personal improvement can cause serious issues.
PV senior Arsh Manazir tried making a plan for his resolution but found the schedule to be too much to handle. “[For my resolution] I made it a goal to sleep 8-9 hours nightly…I quickly found it difficult to keep this up with homework, social activities and extracurricular events. In the future, I may have to adapt my morning routine in order to better follow this goal,” stated Manazir.
Although the year might change, life will never stop for a single individual to start over or make drastic changes. Friends will still make bad decisions, tests and work tasks will continue to flood evenings and free time will not be any greater. It takes an extra bit of motivation to make a resolution a reality.
Do not allow this year to become another waste of time. Make a plan and follow through with it. It only takes a few good habits to achieve greatness. So throw on those tennis shoes, pop in some headphones and join that 4% of successful resolutioners.
