January 15, 2015
Each New Year, about 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, the typical resolutions including weight loss, saving money, or helping others. According to research from the University of Scranton, about 8% of those people actually stick to their resolutions throughout the entire year.
Researchers from Forbes have stated that many people take on too many resolutions, creating a whole new life for themselves instead making small improvements. “Shooting for the moon can be so psychologically daunting if you end up failing to launch in the first place,” said a Forbes journalist.
New Year’s Resolutions can be beneficial when they are kept up. The top five most common resolutions are to lose weight, save money, quit smoking, focus on education, and be happier.
Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol conducted a study in 2007 that showed 88% of 3,000 people who set New Year’s resolutions failed. However, men achieved their resolution 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, while women succeeded 10% more when they openly discussed their goals and got support from their friends.
Wiseman’s study proved that conducting a schedule for keeping up with your resolutions will be allow you to be more successful when completing your New Years resolution.
Losing weight is the most common resolution, and unfortunately it is also the most difficult to stick to. As the new year begins, typically the stress eating increases while your newly purchased gym membership goes to waste. In order to stick to this commitment, having a workout partner that can hold you accountable may help you achieve your goal of dropping a few pounds. Creating healthy meal plans at the beginning of the week will make it easier to stay away from fast food as well as helping reduce the stress of making dinner each night.
Saving money is the next biggest resolution that most people make. Easy ways to save money are by eating at home rather than going out to eat, which will drastically decrease long-term food costs. Turning off the lights before you leave a room will not only help decrease the cost of your electricity bill, but will help you save energy as well.
Another big promise one makes to themselves at the beginning of the year is to quit smoking. It is no secret that smoking is incredibly dangerous to the human body and to others around the smoker, yet it is estimated that of 2012 over 18.1% of adults in the US are current smokers. Although quitting smoking can be tough, there are steps one can take to drop this bad habit.
Chewing gum or hard candy can replace the craving of nicotine. Going out to non-smoking places will prevent you from smoking, since lighting a cigarette on the premises is illegal. Lastly but most importantly, talking to your friends and family about quitting this harmful habit will hopefully allow you to receive support.
Recently the want to focus on education has increased greatly, moving from the top 12th New Year’s resolution in 2012 to the fifth most common resolution in 2013. These days it is becoming almost necessary to have a college degree when applying for careers, so it is important to focus on education while you still have the time to do so.
Getting organized is the first step. This includes making a study schedule, getting plenty of sleep and even making sure you have enough time for yourself. Also, having a study buddy or study group will keep you on track with your schoolwork throughout the year until that final semester that you aced is over and done with.
Last but not least, the fifth most popular 2015 resolution is to be happier. We are constantly reminded by the news and social media of all the negative things going on in the world, so it is easy to focus on the negatives rather than the positives. However, if you strive to be happier this new year, there are many easy ways to work towards that goal.
Instead of worrying about what others think, do what will make you happiest. Try starting a new hobby you’ve always thought of trying. Find your passion. Enjoy the little things in life.
Life can get crazy, we all know that, but try living this new year for yourself. If you make a New Year’s resolution, try sticking to it and if your promise happens to be one of the above, follow a few of these steps and maybe this year you can become part of the 8% who complete their New Year’s resolution.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Cypress Ranch High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.