The New Year is almost upon us and that normally makes one think about New Year’s Resolutions. If you have ever been to the gym in January, you know it is the busiest time of the year. There is an influx of new gym goers, initially promising to work out multiple times a week. Now, go to the gym in late January or early February. It seems like everything is back to normal. The New Year’s Resolution Rush is over and you are back to being able to find a bench to work at. But why do New Year’s Resolutions fail so quickly?
According to Ohio State University, only 9% of Americans who make a resolution are able to keep their resolutions. That is less than 1 in every 10 Americans. 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week. 43% cannot even make it past January. If you are part of the 91% who did not make it to the end of the year, there may have been a few challenges you failed to plan for.
The first challenge is time management. If your resolution is to go to the gym 3 times a week, you will need to find time in your schedule. Going to the gym usually takes an hour, so finding that hour between school, sports, and homework can be difficult. However, it takes dedication to keep up a promise. It may not be the most convenient time to do it, but to accomplish something you must keep up that promise.
The second challenge is misconception in starting new goals. People believe that you must only start a goal at the beginning of the year for the sake of tradition. However, it is valuable to realize that we must start our goals when we can. Do not wait until the start of the year to begin a new chapter—start now. Tyler Woods (‘26) weighed in on starting sooner rather than later: “If you wanted to be better, you would [start your goals] any time of the year.”
The third challenge is unpredictability. If you expect your normal routine to occur every single day, you are most likely going to be wrong. New things pop up regularly, and it takes a well-trained mind to persevere through uncertainty. This skill is almost as valuable as the New Year’s Resolution itself.
So, is starting a New Year’s Resolution important? The answer seems to be yes and no. It is still a complicated subject. The resolution itself is very important. It gives us new challenges to constantly better ourselves and guides us in finding new perspectives. However, it is essential to recognize that you do not need to wait until January 1, 2024 to begin. Chase Miller (‘24) believes that “you should live your whole life trying to pursue something and not just at the beginning of the year.” A resolution can be started at any time. Whether you resolve to give up fast food, work out, or learn a new skill, it is always a good time to start if you have the drive to do so.
