As 2024 begins, many people look to get a fresh start to the new year with different types of goals. But are these goals actually achieved, or are they an empty promise?
Joe Ceretti, a freshman at Norwalk, said he does have a New Year’s resolution.
“ [I want] to eat better, sleep better, workout more maybe,” Ceretti said. “Just overall bettering myself for the new year.”
Ceretti said that resolutions can be positive or negative.
“I think there is a 50/50 – some of them are good, some of them are bad,” Ceretti said. “Some people don’t stick to their New Year resolutions.”
Ceretti said that a reason for this would be a lack of motivation. He said an example of this is the common resolution to go to the gym.
“We see how that goes,” he said.
Ceretti said a possible fix to lack of motivation was to do it with someone.
“[You can] do a New Year’s resolution with someone that you’re close with, like a friend, so that you both can stay there to motivate each other,” Ceretti said.
Gabby Bussanmas, a junior at Norwalk, said she had decided on a resolution for the new year.
“My New Year’s resolution is to drink more water,” she said.
Bussanmas said that these resolutions don’t have to be life-changing.
“I don’t think they have to be something that’s strict, or you’re taking away something,” she said, “It can just be a goal for the year.”
Bussanmas said that the consistency in the resolution is situational.
“I feel like it depends on the person, but I think most of the time people just fall off with them,” she said.
Bussanmas said there was a common factor in these resolution fall-offs.
“I think they just might lose motivation,” she said. “It’s just easier to go back to their old habits.”
Dulguun Batzaya, a senior at Norwalk, said there are pros and cons to a resolution.
“It’s a good thing to start off the new year with,” Batzaya said. “ But I feel like some people take it too serious and make it the most important thing of the new year.”
Batzaya said it’s common to discontinue New Year’s resolutions.
“You go to a gym on January 1, and you see a dozen other people work out and then the next day there’s none,” Batzaya said.
Batzaya said that motivation was a key component in the loss of resolutions.
“People get motivated on the first day of the new year since they want to do better than their last year, and they just end up forgetting about it,” he said.