It’s that time of year for New Year’s resolutions. Everyone sets goals they want to achieve for the new year, typically trying to better themselves. 

There are many different types of resolutions. Most of the time resolutions are usually health and money related such as to eat healthier or not spend as much money on certain things. Other people want to get more organized or be more mindful. New Year’s resolutions can come in many shapes and sizes depending on the person. 

Typically, the goals are set at the beginning of the year but by the second week of January people are falling back into old habits. This is because the goals set were not achievable, and this can be for many different reasons. Reasons for not achieving such goals could be lack of time, resources, or motivation. The key to achieving goals is consistency and dedication. Research shows that only 16 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually achieve them. 

If you plan on setting any New Year’s resolutions, to make sure they come to fulfillment, you should try and follow the acronym SMART. The “S” stands for specific. Instead of just saying I want to lose weight, say how much you want to lose. “M” stands for measurable, and this can be easy to do if you’re trying to lose weight but it’s important for other goals as well. Tracking them is a good idea so you can show your progress so you can see your improvement. “A” stands for achievable. You can still have big goals, but having little goals inside of the big goals can help make the bigger goals achievable. Smaller goals seem simpler and easier to achieve. “R” stands for reasonable. Your goals have to matter for you, and you have to make them for the right reason. Finally, “T” stands for time-bound, giving yourself enough time to achieve your goals is important. You can’t expect to lose 30 pounds overnight. All of these tie together, and together, they make goals achievable. 

Junior Lexie Thayer said, “Mines saving more money because I spend it all.”

Sophomore Lara Lambeth has also set a new year’s resolution. Lambeth commented, “My New Year’s resolution is to get together with people more often.”