It’s January 1, 2012. You roll over on your best friend’s couch to see your friends scattered asleep on the floor, red solo cups littering the countertops, and New Year’s Eve decorations torn off the walls. While this may be a sign of a successful night, you begin to reevaluate your life choices and the coming year.
Maybe you’re a senior and you’re trying to find your potential beau within the next few months before you leave High Point. Maybe you’re a freshman, who, after seeing last semester’s GPA, learned that you desperately need to get your life together. Or, maybe you’re a sophomore or junior who’s rolling through the school year with random resolutions (“I promise I’ll quit smoking! I’ll go to the gym every day for three hours! I’m never eating a chicken Philly cheesesteak ever again! I’m going to date someone who actually matters to me, and stop having these random flings every two weeks.”)
Whatever your resolution, there’s a guarantee that there’s someone else on this campus that’s got the same resolution as you. But, in the end, do resolutions really work? When you commit to your resolution, will you actually follow through? Or, is your resolution a three-week stint where you plan on losing ten pounds as fast as you can?
Resolutions have become taboo for many people, arguing that if you really wanted to change something in your life, it shouldn’t take a ‘new year’ for you to implement the change. Others see resolutions as a sense of motivation to start the new year off on the right foot, hoping to change their lifestyle in whatever way seems reasonable and realistic. Whatever your opinion, how can you guarantee that you stick to your resolution?
Set realistic goals. Find a buddy who wants to change the same thing. Remind yourself that changes don’t happen overnight; they take time and effort, and anything worthwhile will take quite a while. Fix the things that truly matter to you. Distinguish between short-term resolutions and long-term resolutions. Constantly remind yourself that this is what you want to do to better yourself. Don’t quit after one day, two weeks, or three months. Stick to your goal, and don’t cheat yourself.
If you truly want to change, you’ll do it on your own time. Whether that change starts at 12:01 on January 1, or it begins in the middle of February after a Valentine’s Day break-up (rough life, but it happens), do what you need to do to guarantee you’ll be happy and healthy. Some resolutions may seem small and trivial, but no matter what it is, it should have a positive significance on your lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if you believe in New Years resolutions or not, what matters is your willingness and effort to change yourself.
Here’s a list of some HPU students’ resolutions (names are withheld to protect identity’s and reputations):
- “Quit smoking for good.”
- “Lose 10 pounds by Spring Break.”
- “Cut back on partying, and focus more on academics.”
- “Stop dating jerks, and start dating real men.”
- “Stop pinning and start paying attention in class.”
- “Reconnect with my friends from home and remember where I really came from.”