We are a few weeks into 2018 and VALLEY wants to find out how your New Year’s resolutions are holding up or better yet, did anyone even make them this year? It seems more and more people are opting out of making resolutions with the beginning of each new year. Faced with the feelings of a failed year that comes when unrealistic resolutions are not met, it may be more logical to just make continuous goals.
Photo by Elise Derstine
So VALLEY set out to discover if Penn State students made resolutions this year and to learn if making them is worth the potential disappointment.
Sophomore Fiona Daghir discusses how she aims to be more present, less consumed with technology and more mindful on a daily basis. She sees this form of goal setting as more productive and healthy since it eliminates the pressure of accomplishing such goals in one singular year.
“I think instead of resolutions, you should make a list of goals or things you wish to accomplish. The word “resolution” implies that your life isn’t satisfactory enough, and it often leads to people making drastic changes that don’t last,” Daghir says.
Photo by Elise Derstine
Another sophomore, Lizzie Tamburro, says she has made resolutions in the years past but has found that it leaves her with a negative outlook on how her year turned out.
“Though I did make a resolution this year to have a more healthy lifestyle, I don’t know if I would make resolutions again because I find that just regularly keeping my goals in mind is more effective,” Tamburro says.
New Year’s resolutions are beneficial in concept, but in reality they detract from the goal setting process and the idea that people should constantly pursue improvement. In addition to this, confining your goals to one year can harbor negative feelings about yourself when they go unmet.
“You should strive to make good life choices all the time not just on New Years Eve,” Tamburro says.
Photo by Elise Derstine
Every time Jan. 1 rolls around people always vow “new year, new me,” but instead we should be focused on feeling comfortable with ourselves rather than trying to become a whole new person. Goals are necessary to work on areas of improvement but with time, New Years resolutions have grown bigger than what can possibly be achieved in the span of a year.
Not to mention, January is one of the worst months to start working on personal goals as it comes right after the holidays while you’re still in vacation mode and it symbolizes the beginning of a whole new semester, with all its stressful glory.
VALLEY wishes you the best of luck in the New Year if you made any resolutions, but know that it’s more than acceptable to forego your resolutions in lieu of setting some goals. You don’t need a new year to change your lifestyle.
