The New Year comes with the opportunity to start, well, new. According to various sources, including Forbes magazine and The Washington Post, anywhere between 40 percent and 50 percent of Americans will make a resolution for 2016. This isn’t hard to imagine— almost everyone has something that they want to improve on. The problem is, according to Forbes magazine, only about 8 percent of those who make a resolution end up keeping it.
Doesn’t sound very encouraging, right? Don’t worry; there is plenty that can be done to help you keep yours. Here are some helpful hints to consider while creating your New Year’s resolution.
Pick the right resolutions
April Coan, academic success coach and the assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Student Success, said you should choose resolutions that are going to make positive changes in your life.
“Everyone has his or her own personal goals, so whatever is meaningful to you should be your resolution,” said Coan.
Depending on where you are in life, there may be a lot of things that you want to change. As a college student, you may want to do everything from making new friends, fixing your grades, making money and getting fit. That’s a tall order for anyone to accomplish in a lifetime, let alone one year.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with trying to achieve all of these goals. But for the sake of keeping your New Year’s resolutions, try to stick to a small list of attainable goals. Want to get healthy? Try a resolution like going to the gym at twice a week, cutting out fast food and drinking three bottles of water a day. Not only is this list easier to handle, but also it’s also easier to measure.
Make a plan
Whenever trying to accomplish anything, it helps if you have a plan. Sometimes, making a plan can sound a lot easier than it actually is, so the first step is to do your research.
Any time a big change is made, it’s important to go about it in the correct manner. If your resolution is to bring up that GPA, use your resources to research study strategies and organizational strategies. If you’re trying to socialize more, hit the internet to see what events are going on. If you’re trying to get fit, talk to a trainer about the work outs that would be right for you.
After doing research, write out a plan of action. This can include steps you are going to take and scheduled times for when you are going to do them. Make sure you give yourself that hour at the gym or that block of study time. Knowing how to accomplish a resolution will make achieving it that much easier.
Don’t give up
Coan said, “It takes 28 days to form a habit. That means it takes a little bit of effort to make a positive change.”
When making a resolution, it’s unlikely that you’ll see the change instantly, especially with any of the big-ticket resolutions that are so popular. However, by sticking to your plan, you’re bound to see results. Perseverance is key. Unless your resolution is to party, you most likely aren’t going to have a good time trying to keep your resolution at first.
“By the third week, it’s just going to feel like part of your routine,” Coan explained.
And that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it? To make a positive, permanent change.
So over winter break, think about what’s most important to you. Think about everything you want to change. Create a plan. Make a resolution. College is the time to work on you and grow as an individual. Part of being a Shark is moving forward, something we are all capable of. This New Year, what will you change?
