With the dawn of 2025, many people are taking action and looking to better themselves with New Year’s resolutions. Staff and students alike have set resolutions with the goal of ending the year better than it started. For example, when asked about her resolution, Mrs. Hyland said, “ I’d like to get more steps in this year,” “I’m aiming for 10,000 steps a day.” Senior Ryan Nemeth said he’d like “To focus more on my academics and extracurriculars, and to hopefully end my senior year with some success.” When asked how he planned on keeping his resolution, he said, “[I will set] smaller goals and then [make] sure I accomplish them, then setting new goals.”

But how many New Year’s Resolutions are actually kept? While a burst of motivation for self-improvement is great, it doesn’t last long for most people. According to CBS News, “While nearly half of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, only about 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, according to Columbia University. And even fewer, less than 10%, accomplish their goals.” When asked about past resolutions, most people don’t have success stories. Upon questioning about his resolutions in past years, senior Jaswant Singh said, “No, [I never set them], I never felt the need for resolutions.”

A big problem with New Year’s resolutions nowadays is that many people find them unnecessary. When asked about if he thinks New Year’s resolutions were a good tradition, Nemeth stated, “I think they have a place, but it doesn’t need to be new years to make a resolution.” Moreover, of 8 people interviewed, only one junior, who wished to not be named, showed an express interest in resolutions, and thought they were a great tradition.

One of the most common reasons for New Year’s resolutions failing is due to the scope of many people’s goals. While a year may seem like a long time, it can be difficult to grasp what can be done in a year, and a lot of people set their goals improperly. For example, saying “I want to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year” can be difficult depending on the starting point. Goals can also be too broad, however, like by saying, “I want to lose weight this year.” It’s better to set intermittent, short term, and achievable goals to help ensure that goals are reached. A good example of a weight loss goal could be “I want to lose weight by tracking my calories and eating healthier, and by going to the gym 3 times a week.” It’s achievable with trackable progress, but there isn’t a fear of not reaching a set point by the end of the year. It’s important to keep these aspects in mind when setting goals, whether it be New Year’s resolutions or not.