New
Year's Resolutions:
Have you broken yours already?
by Lisa Ermak
We all have them and we swear we'll actually
follow through this year, but in most cases the promises we make
to ourselves to lose ten pounds, study harder or quit smoking
are broken in only a few months. Lynne Bode, writer for the Sideroad
said, "On average,
only about 20% of us keep our New Year's resolutions." But why?
In regards to making resolutions, freshman Dan Appel believes some
people don't really think about the work involved for a twelve
month long goal and in turn, they set unrealistic goals for themselves. "They
do it because everyone else is doing it so they don't really care.
They just go along with the popular tendency," said Appel.
Appel thinks if you're determined enough
to make a change, you don't need to wait until January to do
it. "You can decide to change
yourself whenever you want," said Appell. "You don't need
to have a New Year mark to change something you want to do."
Although Appel isn't a big fan of New Year's resolutions, this
year he's decided that he's going to go along with the other 88%
of the population and set a goal for himself: make it to class
every single day.
So how exactly does one give in to that resolution made all the
way back in Janurary? For Appel, he has to keep his future in mind. "Staying
in college is definitely my motivator because I need a certain
GPA or else I'll get kicked out."
Freshman Steve Pomeroy, however, has a much different resolution
for himself. "My personal New Year's resolution is just to be a
better person. I'm serious about it but it's not an end all, be
all sort of thing," said Pomeroy.
For Appel, even though his future is on the line, he does admit
it's hard to keep it because of his habits here at school. "I go
to bed late and never get my full eight hours."
But Appel can understand why this time
of year it's hard to get motivated right away because of all
the distractions at the beginning of January with putting away
Christmas decorations and recovering financially from the holiday
season.
Whether you're planning on shedding twenty pounds or getting more
use out of that IM West membership, don't push yourself too hard
right at the beginning, but have determination. "If you plan it
out [your resolution] in a sequence then you'll be able to do your
thing eventually instead of trying to change everything all at
once," said Pomeroy.
"If you're gonna make a change, make it," said Pomeroy. "And if you're really
true to yourself about changing something, then that's great."
