3…2…1…Happy New Year! Everyone starts the new year with some sort of resolution, something they want to stick to this year and change in their lives. It goes well for the first couple of months, but after that many seem to just give up. So, what’s the point of making resolutions if they aren’t going to be completed anyways? 

New Year’s resolutions are helpful in theory, but in reality, they aren’t very beneficial because they aren’t set. The intention of making a change and starting fresh is a great idea for those who can make it work, but most of the time resolutions are too unrealistic and hard to make a change in one day. So instead of making a more reasonable resolution, most people end up giving up after a few weeks. “Strava documented over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019 and found that most people toss in the towel on January 19, which Strava succinctly dubs “Quitter’s Day,” (inc.com). 

“Most people don’t stick with them because […] they learn […] later on and say […] ‘Oh, I don’t think I’m able to do this or like, I don’t think I have time to do this,’ or stuff like that,” freshman Natalie Lopez shares. 

While it is possible to be successful in keeping a resolution by making a plan, starting with small goals, and being consistent, only about 8-9% of people who set a goal achieve them successfully. “In fact, of the 41% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions, only 9% were successful in keeping them,” (inc.com). In the small percentage of people that made a New Year’s resolution, an even smaller percentage achieved them feeling successful throughout the year. 

When asked if she thinks New Year’s resolutions are necessary, freshman Elsy Larios says, “Not really, because over time, you can have an idea of what you would like to do throughout the year but you don’t stick to them.” 

One of the most common reasons people don’t stick to their New Year’s resolutions is that they are too large and unreasonable. Although many try to come up with obtainable goals, most are still unsuccessful in following through and being consistent with their goals. “Less than 8% of people stick to their resolutions each year, according to some estimates, yet millions of Americans continue to set goals with high hopes of a better year ahead,” (uabmedicine.org). 

Every year people continue to set too high of goals for their benefit and then are disappointed by the way their hopes fall down the drain. So to avoid disappointment, why just not make any resolutions at all this year?