As the new year and semester begin, many find themselves forming New Year’s resolutions. According to this article from inc.com, the tradition of making these resolutions can be traced back to the ancient Babylonians. Perhaps it takes more than the failure of the Mayan apocalypse to make people realize that not all ancient ideas are good ones.
Nowadays, the custom of making New Year’s resolutions is not taken seriously. Sure, those who make resolutions feel energized and motivated during the first few weeks of January. However, the resolutions are usually forgotten by February, and the individuals who made them feel disappointed and unsuccessful. Hardly any people make their resolutions count, and who can blame those who don’t? The clean slate that existed on New Year’s Day is no longer present, and neither is the motivation.
Freshman Evan Stegman agrees that resolutions can be useful if thought is put into them. Still, Stegmann has never made a New Year’s resolution. He uses the motivation from having a clean slate without adding pressure by making a resolution. “Getting to restart grades at the beginning of the semester makes me more productive,” Stegman said.
For those who still want to make New Year’s resolutions, there are ways to make the resolutions count and worthwhile. First, it is important to make the resolution relevant throughout the whole year. Junior Anna Schuh made a New Year’s resolution to try to be more positive. Schuh is going to do this by writing down one good thing that happens to her each day and putting them in a jar. At the end of 2013, she is going to go back through all of her good memories. “I have a bad memory, so the jar will help me remember all of the awesome things that happen,” Schuh said.
Schuh also made a resolution to run the Flying Pig Marathon this year. She is planning on making this resolution successful by keeping a schedule of how many miles to run each day. In addition, Schuh is going to run with friends, who can motivate her while training. There are many other ways to make resolutions successful, such as remembering to set small, reasonable goals and to be prepared for minor slipups.
Anyone who forms a daunting resolution at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve right before the ball is about to drop in Times Square just to take part in a tradition is being set up for failure. New Year’s resolutions can be effective if they are treated properly. If someone really wants to kick a bad habit or get in shape for swimsuit season, they should put some thought into their resolution. The concept of making resolutions isn’t pointless; the way they are treated by society is.