Get organized, exercise more often, eat better, spend more time with family, help others… the list goes on and on. It’s 2008 and time to make those dreaded New Years resolutions we all find so hard to keep. So why do we continue to make them year after year? According to About.com, we typically make New Years resolutions to offer ourselves a-guilt free holiday season. We want to be able to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise, anticipating the promise that we will pick up the slack once January rolls around. January is here, and it’s time to pick up the pace and fulfill those New Year resolutions. “My New Year resolution is to reflect on all that I have learned in high school and what others have taught me as I get ready to start a new chapter in my life,” says senior Amanda Keusal as she shares her resolution plans for 2008. Danny Kelly wants to “stop hugging men,” and Courtney Beyer wants to exercise more often and eat more healthy, which has been a common goal echoed throughout WC by many of the students who are beginning to feel the effects of their Christmas cookies and holiday celebrations.
Despite the abundance of resolutions heard throughout the school there are many who agree with About.com’s consensus that the New Year resolution is nothing more than a petty way to make one’s self feel better. “I don’t like New Year resolutions because it’s like you are setting yourself up for failure,” says Tiffany Helmuth, another member of the senior class. “I think setting goals is a good thing, but I am not motivated by a page on the calendar,” replies another anonymous source when questioned about her New Years resolution.
Many feel that a New Year resolution is nothing more than an excuse to let one’s self go for the holidays. Healthy goals of self-betterment should truly be something that are strived after on a daily basis throughout the entire year, not just in the beginning of the January. However, there are many people who get themselves motivated by setting themselves a deadline and making their yearly Resolutions. Make your decision: if you have found that New Years resolutions are for you then good luck and have a great year!
