The start of the new year brings new goals and ideas, but will they last?
According to a survey done by Forbes Health, the most common New Year’s resolutions for 2024 include improving fitness, finances, mental health, and losing weight. Although optimistic, resolutions tend not to last long. The unrealistic expectations that come with resolutions are why most people aren’t still abiding by them at the end of the year, according to Psychology Today.
In a quick survey of the Willistonian newsroom, resolutions included being more in touch with their emotions, cherishing every moment, and drinking more water. Among the Williston community and beyond, resolutions were part of many people’s plans for the new year, whether or not they typically last.
Weston Reardon, a senior from Long Island, N.Y. finishing his final varsity basketball season, said, “My resolution would probably be to play college basketball.”
Eamon Shields, an eighth grader at The Bement School said he is “Trying not to snack too much. Instead, eating fuller and larger meals.”
Tyla Taylor, a member of the Science department at Williston has found she’ll “set an intention and totally break it.”
“This year,” she said, “I’ve decided to do weekly challenges for the month of January.”
Ricardo Nieves, a junior from Springfield, Mass., said, “Honestly, I’m just trying to become a better version of myself.”
Strength and Conditioning Coach Blayne Lapan said, “My goal for the new year is to buy a rental property.”
Alyssa Matricciani, a junior from South Carolina, said she is “hoping to hangout with friends more and try to stay out of my room as much as possible.”
Weston understands the difficulty of keeping a resolution, and how it affects the way you look at yourself.
“I don’t think they are worth it because you put unrealistic expectations on yourself for the most part,” he said. “If you don’t achieve those goals then you may feel like a failure to yourself or others.”
Despite their good intentions, Eamon feels as though resolutions aren’t always the most helpful for every person.
“Their effectiveness depends on who you are asking,” he said. “I don’t feel like I need them because I tend to change my mind about the resolution I made. I don’t feel like they are necessary for society.”
According to Forbes Health and Statista, the most common resolutions in the years since 2020 all focus on improving finances, exercising more, eating better, and improving mental health. The recurring goals, some argue, seem to show the lack of motivation and determination our society has.
As a teacher of psychology, Taylor recognizes how our minds react to not fulfilling a goal that was difficult to complete to begin with.
“I think people continue to set the same resolution because they don’t set the resolution in a realistic way, and then fail at it,” she said. “However, some of the reasons they don’t follow through on it can be because their resolutions are too big, or they don’t have a clear positive intention behind the resolution.”