New Year’s Resolutions

By SHILOH LIU ‘22

Picture this: You excitedly count down  to welcome the new year with your families and friends. “Five, four, three... two... one!” You hear a boom, then cheers, and you see beautiful fireworks. Red and green, gold and silver, all sorts of colors blooming everywhere.

Most people celebrate New Years this way, and 2019 was no different. The march from 2018 to 2019 brought a brand new start and, for many, also brought New Year’s resolutions. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, New Year’s resolutions are “promises that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad.”

I sent out a poll to members of faculty and students from different grades. Here are their responses regarding their New Year’s resolutions:

“I want to be nicer to my little sister.”
“I want to read more and be more politically active.”
“Worry less.”
“Keep up more on the news.”
“Spend more time with my friends.”
“Hydrate more?”
“Time management?”
“Get through exam week.”
“I don’t want to stay up that late.”
“Get better at flossing.”
“Put down my phone and be more present. Live in the moment.”

“Less distractions, especially technological distractions.”

As these responses show, New Year’s resolutions vary greatly from person to person. A lot of resolutions, however, turn out to be a result of the academic stress we receive at Milton; this past year, people stayed up late, worried, or failed, and they are determined to change as they head into the New Year. Additionally, all Milton students hope to get through exam week. Besides worrying about their academic life, students strive to be involved in the world, more politically active, and keep up with current events.

After reviewing the results of my poll, I was surprised to know that high school students are not the only people who struggle with procrastination and the usage of technology; faculty members expressed their hope to interact with the people around them more than with their screens. One teacher mentioned that she does not want to get distracted from work specifically by the notifications that keep popping up on her phone.

On the other hand, other people say they don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. Two such people offered explanations:

“I feel like New Year’s resolutions are not really resolutions. They are more like goals.”

“I don’t think New Year’s resolutions really motivate me. I often drop my resolution in the middle of the year apparently because my resolution is not that important. It is better to be motivated all year than only being motivated in the beginning, and so I gave up on making New Year’s resolutions for myself.”

Some may believe that New Year’s resolutions seem too temporary, and people will not work toward their objectives persistently. However, for those who value them, making New Year’s resolutions is a way to push themselves to the best that they can be.

Image Courtesy of google