According to Forbes, up to 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. As January comes to a close, MV students reflect and strategize on their own goals for 2023. 

“I have made many resolutions in the past and failed almost all of them. I hope this year is different. So far, I am doing well to maintain my personal goals for this year.” shared Kadence Chamness, ‘23. 

“I have tried with resolution in the past, such as only allowing myself one soda a month, but I failed in May,” shared Jack Ryan, ‘23. 

Though it may seem like resolutions are destined to fail, there are success stories even within this campus.

“A few years ago I made the resolution to be a vegetarian. I succeeded and even enjoyed it enough to continue this beyond that year,” shared Alicia Benson, ‘23. 

“Last year I set the goal of getting a new car, and I accomplished that goal,” said Madison McKinney, ‘23. 

Motivation is a major contributor to keeping one’s resolutions.

“2023 will be a big year for me. I will graduate, go to college, and so on. My goal is to stay focused and not let stress get the best of me. My motivation in doing so is that I want to enjoy my final months of high school and set myself up for a successful future,” said Chamness. 

Though motivation is important, it is not everything. 

“I think motivation can only get you so far. No matter why you are doing something, making sacrifices is gonna be difficult and motivation will not alway be enough to outweigh the difficulty. I believe you must have discipline more so than motivation. I do not have a lot of discipline, which is probably why I have failed at all of my previous resolutions,” shared Macey Procise, ‘23. 

There are steps you can take to make your goals seem more attainable. 

“I think that keeping trying even after you fail is important. Whenever I was trying to limit my soda, the second I failed once, I gave up entirely. Had I accepted my mistake and kept pursuing my goal, I would have been better off,” expressed Ryan. 

Itr is not too late to set a goal for yourself.

“I feel like self improvement is never a bad thing, but I do not necessarily feel like you have to wait for a new year to do so. If you see a problem, fix it, regardless of the time of year,” shared Ryan Maines, ‘23. 

Some students don’t care for resolutions at all. 

“I hate the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. I have never made one and I never intend on doing so,” stated Isaac Markus, ‘23. 

Whether you have resolutions or not, encourage your friends that do, and strive to better yourself so that we can build a better world, one Ram at a time.