Resolution Regrets

Many people want to go through the next year making a promise to themself, thus creating New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions are practiced by 37% of Americans and by making a promise to yourself to either stop doing a harmful act or start doing a good one throughout the next year.

Many people often get complacent on there life and don’t want to stick to resolutions. Fisher College of Business states, “Only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. Research shows that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.” This shows that for every 10 people participating in New Year’s resolutions, approximately one will succeed. These numbers are meager and show how little people stick to their words and promises.

At Hills West, I asked 20 students if they participated in New Year’s resolutions last year. Only nine of those 20 students participated in New Year’s resolutions last year. Of those nine students, two said they completed their resolutions, and one said they partially met them. New Year’s resolutions are a great way to start the year; not enough people are sticking to them. I think a big reason is that many people blatantly make resolutions without considering their resolutions or plans. A lot of people aren’t driven and often quit. For example, the number of gym memberships increases around this time, but very few people stick to their word and aren’t consistent.

According to Forbes, “Setting a New Year’s resolution is a widespread practice, especially in the U.S. A 2022 poll by YouGov indicated that 37% of Americans said they had a goal or resolution they wanted to achieve in 2023, with 87% saying they were very or somewhat likely to keep it through the year.”