YEARning for a NEW Start

Olivia Berler, Staff Writer

While you might make fun of that cliché, “New year, new me,” many people take it- or at least try to take it- seriously. New Year’s resolutions can seem like a good idea at the moment, but some of us end up dropping the ball on new goals after a month or so. If you are thinking about setting a New Year’s resolution this year, make sure you are doing it because you want to, not just because you feel like you should.

Your main reason for setting a New Year’s resolution should be happiness. In other words, if you feel that setting a goal in the New Year would benefit you, or those around you, go for it. Don’t even bother creating a New Year’s resolution if it’s because someone else thinks that you need to. It’ll never last if you don’t have a personal connection with it, especially if it wasn’t even your idea in the first place. These types of long-term goals should be for you, not to please others.

A problem that many people encounter in trying to follow through with a New Year’s resolution is gaining and maintaining motivation. How many times in the past week have you needed to complete a task but ended up saying, “I’m tired,” “I don’t have time,” or even just, “I don’t feel like it?” You might not want to admit that you’ve said any of these before, but let’s face the harsh reality: sometimes we can all be a little lazy. To fend off the laziness, make your New Year’s resolution almost unavoidable. Say your resolution is to spend more time with your family. Schedule activities in your phone or your calendar so that you won’t “forget” to follow through. Plan a movie night, a game night or even just a meal together. Motivation is the biggest struggle for many in trying to achieve a goal, but it’s a struggle that can be conquered.

New Year’s resolutions can seem like nothing but a burden sometimes. When the clock strikes twelve and the ball drops in Times Square on January 1, know what you’re getting yourself into if you decide to set a long-term resolution.

I remember when I was in fourth grade, I had to write a paper in regards to New Year’s resolutions. In the essay, we had to include our own goals for the year. Of course, just trying to please the teacher, most of us (including myself) said that our main goal was to “get good grades.” However, none of us took this resolution into consideration after we turned in our papers. We just carried on with school the way most fourth graders would: trying to get the work done fast so we could have free time. What I’m getting at here is that you probably shouldn’t take your New Year’s resolutions as loosely as a 10-year-old would. If you are really willing to commit to a goal, do whatever it takes for you personally to stay on track.

If you do decide that it would be a good idea to create a New Year’s resolution, don’t make excuses. Excuses may feel like they are reducing your guilt at first, but no one wants to hear that you “didn’t have time” as you just sit on the couch watching TV when you could be tackling your goals. Go out this year and disprove the stereotypes about breaking New Year’s resolutions, but make sure you are enjoying yourself while doing it.