My New Years Resolution

Written By:
Jenelle Whitman

Published:
Jan. 06 2010

With 2010 right around the corner many believe that with the New Year comes new beginnings and a second chance to get things done the way you want. To accomplish this task people set New Year’s resolutions.
 “New year’s resolutions are a way to start the New Year off with a clean slate. It gives yourself a chance to set goals and plans for your future that you can strive to achieve,” sophomore Corey Bonnette said.
A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual takes on, typically for the upcoming year, to accomplish for their own personal reasons. Many students in the Springbrook community take up this tradition, and also use their prior resolutions to reflect back on the year.
“Last year my resolution was to get better grades and as I look back, I realized that I could have worked harder to improve more than I actually did,” junior Josiah Koo.
Resolutions are commitments one makes to change their ways of life, typically for their own benefits.
“People make new years resolutions to improve their lifestyles and their habits,” freshman Cheyenne Adler said.
Many people believe that the Babylonians created the idea of New Year’s resolutions, and people all over the world have been taking them on ever since. They believed that the first day of the New Year should be reflecting on past mistakes and future plans on how to improve oneself in the New Year.
Resolutions students share range from graduating June 14, to making the lacrosse team in the spring.
“To work hard and stay fit so I can come back ready for the spring lacrosse team is what I want to do,” freshman Tam-Ahn Nguyen said.
Research shows that the most popular resolutions include weight control, better money management, and controlling bad addictions. Research also states that over a quarter of the people who make these resolutions stop them after the first week; and after three months over half stop. Statistics also show that the people who make goals in the first place are 10 times more likely to obtain their goal than someone who does not plan out their goals.
Teachers even have resolutions, and for some, like National State Local (NSL) Government teacher Judy Miller, their goals have been prolonged for more than just the upcoming year.
“I do not have any New Year’s resolutions because I always break them,” Miller said. “Although I always talk that I am going to get in my bikini come June but that is a lie because I have had that going on since 20 years ago.”
Many of the seniors are looking to graduate in June and start off their college career with new habits and new aspirations, different than those habits from high school.
“I hope to not procrastinate as much in college as I did in high school,” senior Sequoia Elliott said.
While seniors are more focused on their future life careers, most think underclassmen’s resolutions seem more “low-key.”
“My new years resolution is to get good enough grades to be able to stay on the wrestling team,” freshman Thien Vu said.
Some simply gave up on New Year’s resolutions because they never accomplished ones they set in the past
“I think New Years resolutions should be followed but not always,” junior Tony Nguyen said. “None of my New Years resolutions have come true, so it never works for me.”
Some feel as though resolutions people make are unnecessary because some do not follow through with them.
“I think that New Year’s resolutions are over rated because no one ever sticks to them,” sophomore Micah Brown said.
In contrast to Brown, sophomore Colby Shinholser follows the traditions of New Year’s resolutions and is straight forward with his thoughts on this subject.
“It is a new year so people have to try new things,” Shinholser said.