The Bad:

I am nothing if not a hater of New Year’s resolutions. I find it monstrously irking to hear the phrase “new year, new me!” for the weeks leading up to January 1.

Here’s the beef I have with it: if you already know what you want to change about yourself before the new year even hits, you might as well begin your self-betterment that minute. New Year’s resolutions are just an excuse for people to continue their detrimental habits because they are convinced the second the ball drops at midnight, they suddenly become a new person.

Maybe my problem stems from the fact that I can never seem to sustain a New Year’s resolution, and neither can 91% of America. A study by Fisher College of Business showed that 23% of Americans give up on their resolutions by the end of the first week of the year, and 43% surrender to their old ways by the end of January. The other 25% falls in line shortly after. I have attempted to implement just about every standard resolution you could think of: eat healthier, exercise, get organized, save money, etc. I can never seem to stick to them.

It is well-known that people develop habits quicker in their formative years (teens to 25), so I sought out a couple of students at ADM High School and surveyed them to gather information on how their New Year’s resolutions are going.

Senior Tom Hook had differing opinions from me and stated that he thinks New Year’s resolutions are beneficial, and he is still currently staying on top of his. “I was spending a lot of time on Instagram, just scrolling on the reels. Eventually, I realized it was stupid and was wasting my own time, so for New Year’s I deleted it,” Hook said. “It’s unusual that I stick to a resolution, but this one hasn’t been hard.”

Contrary to his twin brother’s experience, Tate Hook did not stick to his resolution and thinks that they are not important when entering a new year. He had the same goal as his brother, which was to fend off the never-ending scrolling pressures of Instagram. Hook made it clear that he believes New Year’s resolutions are pointless, and that he has never actually stuck to one.

“Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean it’s a new me,” Hook stated.

Basically, don’t put all your eggs in one basket when wanting to become a better person. Habits take time to make, and even longer to break. You can’t expect yourself to wake up on January 1st and immediately meet your goals. It takes time and it takes effort. Relying too much on the when and not what will ultimately make your resolutions fail.

And hey, if you jump out of bed one sunny morning in July or one freezing one in February wanting to become a better person, know that you do not need to wait the whole rest of the year to do so.

The Good:

New Year’s resolutions. The ideal way to start off the year. People all around the world come up with lists, rules, and guidelines that they swear they’ll follow shouting, “This year is going to be my year!” Two weeks pass, and the ideal life created in the notes app of so many phones falls through. So why create a resolution when it’s bound to fail? See, there is the problem. It’s not the resolution, it’s the mindset. And creating a New Year’s resolution just might be the ultimate way to turn not just your mindset, but your life around.

Everyone has something they would like to change or do better. As the year goes on, it may begin to feel like it’s impossible to ever set such goals for yourself, but as January approaches, a switch flicks. A glimmer of hope appears and everything for a split second seems possible. This is the year you start going for walks, lowering your caffeine intake, or begin saving up for that trip to Italy. That’s why resolutions are so special. Once a year, they seem completely achievable. But as time goes on, life starts to get in the way. Your New Year’s resolutions are no more.

But there is a way to avoid this. It is quite simple. Most times, people make their resolutions too drastic. A plan they cannot follow through because it is not realistic. You need to create a resolution that you know is achievable. Once you do that, anything is possible because your plan is possible. New Year’s resolutions are the gateway to the life you’ve dreamed of, but starting small is the key.

Maybe you would like to stop spending so much money. Instead of going cold turkey, start with not going shopping every weekend, or limiting eating out to twice a week. Eventually, you will see that as the year goes on, it gets easier and the more often you can apply it to your daily life. When the year ends, you will be able to look back and be proud of the work you’ve put in. Your mindset changes. You not only learned discipline and accountability but realized you are capable of anything you put your mind to.

This is why I love New Year’s resolutions. They force you to identify something that would better your life and then encourage you to follow through with the plan. They enforce productivity and perseverance, change your viewpoint, and make you happier because of it. New Year’s resolutions are a love letter to yourself, and the only way to receive one is to start writing.

Overall, New Year’s resolutions are the beginning of change. They help many realize that their dreams of a better, more productive, happier life are in arms reach. All it takes is a little bit of courage and sacrifice. When the sun sets at the end of the day, they can close their eyes and be proud of themselves. As the days go by, their life starts to look a little different. And when the year wraps up, it has completely changed. New mindset, new life, new them. New you. So, if you haven’t made a New Year’s resolution, try it out. While it may seem daunting at first, the reward is worth it.