Every New Year begins with new ambitions and promises to make lasting changes. But as the weeks pass, lots of people find themselves slipping back into old habits. Why is it so hard to stick to resolutions, and what can we do to break the cycle?
Many DHS students have admitted to quitting their New Year’s resolutions. Although some have made it past Quitters Day on January 10th, many people still give up on their goals every day. One DHS student, Dennis Griffith, said that his New Year’s resolution was to “stop going to Taco Bell.” When asked if they had quit, he said, “Yes, I am going to Taco Bell today.”
Another student, Julian Sieger, said that he didn’t have a New Year’s Resolution because “[he] thinks it’s cheesy and [he] always quit on it.” Making a New Year’s resolution is a hard thing to commit to and so lots of students like Sieger don’t make a New Year’s resolution because they think there is no point.
Sticking to a New Year’s resolution is hard because changing habits takes time, and we often set big goals without a clear plan. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to fall right back into old routines when things get tough. Also, sometimes we don’t always see results right away, which can make it hard to stay motivated.
One student has stuck to their New Year’s Resolution, Jonah Unterreiner, whose New Year’s resolution was to train for soccer every day after school. He said that he is doing this because it will “help [him] be physically healthy and also to get better at soccer.” When asked about a tip he has used to stick to his New Year’s resolution, he said that “training with friends has helped [him] because if we are both motivated, we can both work together to accomplish our goals.”
The key to sticking with resolutions is to set smaller, realistic goals and take things one step at a time. Tracking progress and celebrating even the little wins can be key. Make sure to stay patient and keep going, even when it feels tough.
All in all, most of the interviewed students have quit or haven’t made a New Year’s resolution, but DHS students can stick to or recommit to their New Year’s resolutions and break old habits forever.