Sophomore Nathan Mastbergen is tackling his New Year’s Resolution right from the start by participating in the Heemstra challenge to do 3,000 push-ups in a week.
Greeting the new year means more than coming down from that holiday high; it means coming down from that calorie high as well.
These rarely kept promises to oneself come in all shapes and sizes: eating better, studying more, sticking to those daily devotionals and so many others. According to Phycology.com, fewer than half the people who made New Year’s resolutions are still following through by July. So why is it so difficult to keep to these goals?
“People just don’t care enough,” said sophomore William Willats. The fact that making these notoriously neglected resolutions are seen as a “holiday tradition” may contribute to this problem. “If I call it a resolution, I won’t keep it,” freshman Bekah Wicks said.
On the other hand, there are those who do take New Year’s resolutions seriously – very seriously. “I think people are too ambitious,” said freshman Emma Westerholm. Overzealous “resolutionists” are prime targets for the “new you” campaigns that dominate consumer America in January.
Under-motivation and over-motivation both pose problems.The solution? Many people simply have given up making resolutions altogether. “I think people don’t make New Year’s resolutions because they don’t want to fail,” said freshman Jennie Haubrich.
If you’re afraid of failure too, go easy on yourself this year and take this advice into consideration.
1. Make your resolution reasonable. Don’t set yourself up for failure by telling yourself you’re going to read the whole Bible in three days while eating only celery.
2. Set little goals for yourself within your resolution. This allows you the opportunity to feel more successful more often. The more successful you feel, the more likely you are to stick with it!
3. Don’t call it a New Year’s resolution! If there is a real change you want to make in your life, do it for you – not because it’s an annual event.
“I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do set goals for myself. I realized I wasn’t reading the Bible very much so I’m now trying to read a little something every day,” sophomore Natasha Fernando said.
In a goal-oriented society, it’s good every now and then to remind ourselves of the God-oriented lives we’re supposed to be living. So whether you’ve got big plans, small plans or no new plans for 2011, rest assured that He does.
