As the countdown begins at 11:59 on New Year’s Eve, anticipation starts to grow as people start to envision something they could change in their life, and they decide on their New Year’s resolution. This practice has become a staple of the new year, closely rivaling the ball drop in Times Square.
But for as long as anyone can remember, resolutions are created to be broken. Some take resolutions seriously, though, and after the first few months, the resolutions remain a priority. Students at Carmel High School seem to share this outlook.
According to Forbes, University of Scranton research suggests that just eight percent of people achieve their New Year’s goals, and only about 48 percent of people make resolutions in the first place, according to Statistic Brain.
This data is consistent with how some CHS students feel about maintaining resolutions and making them in the first place. Sophomore Angela Valdez-Escobedo says that it is not worth making resolutions because she says they are seldom followed.
“I don’t have a New Year’s resolution because I believe people give up on them too easily,” Valdez-Escobedo explains.
Freshman Nathan White explains that his resolution was to no longer eat sweets, but he explains that he quickly forgot his resolution when he was offered candy.
“My New Year’s resolution was to eat healthier and try not to eat sweets,” White says. “I did not keep it because I forgot about it when someone offered me candy.”
Although many students have similar resolutions, the most common being eating healthy, getting good grades or working out on a daily basis, a few students have specific resolutions unique to their lifestyle.
Senior Cici Hendricks, for example, explains that her resolution was to become the dishwasher police in her family ensure water is conserved by only running the dishwasher when it is full.
Jessica Hwang, a junior at CHS, says she has never made resolutions because if there is something that needs to be changed in her life she should not wait until New Years to achieve her goal.
Similarly, sophomore Jamie Silva says that he has never believed in resolutions.
“I have never believed in New Year’s resolutions because it is easier said than done,” Silva explains.
Following the ball drop in Time Square, the gym ads begin flashing onto the screen and the buzz about resolutions begins. But in reality, only a fraction of people make resolutions and out of those who do very few maintain their original goal.
-Grace Davis
