For many people, the beginning of a new year can mean a fresh start and can give people motivation to better themselves. Although some set goals intended for the entire year ahead, more often than not, they don’t end up following through with them.
With a new decade upon us, some people are looking to reinvent themselves. Some want to try a new diet, some want to lose weight and others are trying to save money. While most may not stick with their New Year’s resolution, some are determined to break that and make a lifestyle change.
According to a study done by the psychology department at the University of Scranton, 77% of people maintained their resolution for one week. After 2 years, only 19% of people had kept up with their resolutions.
Jeff Vancouver, professor of psychology, who does research in motivation and decision making, said that often times people set too tough of a goal and don’t focus enough on subgoals and what they can do to accomplish their larger resolution.
“The literature suggests that if you set too tough of a goal, and then you fail at it, that’s so disheartening that you completely give up. (People often do that) as opposed to saying, ‘Okay I backslided, but I can go back and find a realistic balancing point that I might be able to manage,’” Vancouver said.
Vancouver also noted what is often considered a failed resolution might not always be a complete failure.
“(If someone says), ‘I’m going to do x, and I’m going to do nothing to work toward x, that would be considered a failure,’” Vancouver said. “As opposed to, ‘I’m gonna eat better, then I relapse. That’s not necessarily a failure because I did eat better for awhile.’ The next year, they will rethink that.”
When setting a large goal for the new year, it's easy to become overwhelmed by how much work needs to be done to accomplish that goal. Vancouver believes that people often judge their self efficacy, an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors, based off what they can do now, not based on what they have the potential to do in the future.
“One of the things that can get you in trouble with setting large goals is that it becomes easy to dwell on how large the goal is, and not focus on the things you can do to get there,” Vancouver said. “There’s a famous saying that the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. If you set subgoals to make progress to get there, I think that’s very good advice.”
Although it’s easy to ditch a resolution early, some students have set a plan to stay on track with their goals for the new year.
Sydney Hansen, a freshman studying geology, often gets overwhelmed when having to go to class, study and attend career fairs to try and figure out what jobs she can get with her major.
In an effort to stop stressing as much, Hansen made a resolution for the new year to stop worrying about the future, and to focus on what she can do now.
“I worry so often, and I realized that it’s time to set a resolution,” Hansen said. “Everyone this time of year is always asking what your resolution is, and so by repeating that over and over again, hopefully it gets ingrained into my brain to slow down, take a breather and know that everything’s gonna be fine.”
In order to hold herself accountable with her resolution, she’s told her boyfriend about her goals, and he helps remind her to focus on the present.
“I have to remember that what happens in the future is based off of what you do in the present, so I’m reminded to focus on right now rather than what’s going to happen later,” Hansen said.
While some students make resolutions to focus on what they can do to better themselves, others have set resolutions in an effort to help the environment.
Ella Shroll, a junior studying recreation management, has set 20 new goals for 2020. Some of those focus on what she can do to make her life more sustainable.
In an attempt to cut back on her use of plastic, Shroll is trying not to drink from plastic water bottles unless 100% necessary. She also wants to stop using plastic utensils when she gets food to-go, or when she’s eating her lunch at work.
“The place I work at, we only use plastic utensils when we have meals there and I don’t like doing that,” Shroll said. “So, I’m going to start bringing my own set. That’s something I’m trying to be better at.”
She invested in several eco-friendly items to make it easier to be more sustainable. Shroll bought reusable cloth paper towels, makeup pads to take off makeup and reusable lunch bags.
“In the past, I haven’t really set a way to accomplish them, but now I wrote them down, which is a big thing, and I also told a few of my friends about what I’m doing to help me stay on track,” Shroll said. “...The sustainable goals really are pushing me to be better. Before I was just trying to do it, but now I’m really making that commitment.”
