2025 has truly been a blast for everyone, making new memories with friends and loved ones, exploring new unique places, and enjoying exciting events! As the year 2025 comes to an end, the new year 2026 strolls into our lives.
New year resolutions are a tradition that started over 4,000 years ago, when ancient Babylonians sought their god’s blessing, creating the first known practice of setting new year pledges and promises on January 1st. This tradition passed down to the Romans, the Medieval knights, then into the modern self-improvement goals we have today; where people focus on themselves, and set productive goals that will help benefit them in their new year!
Kevin Barnes, 11th – 12th grade math teacher, says his new year resolutions are “To read 53 books this year, since I am 53 years old, and to get back in shape so I can play in the staff vs student basketball game.”
New years are a good time to improve because it is a mental reset button, it makes it easier for people to focus on their future goals and leave behind their past failures. We’ve all had that one test we wished we studied for, or the difficulty of managing our time, but the point is that New year resolutions can help us create a routine or habit that can help change that!
Some of us ponder what new year resolutions to make to create a healthier lifestyle, so here are some good examples to start off your year! Academic goals: improve grades, better study habits, managing time more effectively. Personal growth: Boosting confidence, trying new activities or clubs, reducing procrastination. Health & wellness: Better sleep habits, eating healthier, exercising more. Social & digital life: strengthening friendships, limiting screen time, and being kind to others.
Nicholas Manuzuak, 10th – 12th grade counselor, states that his new year resolutions are “try my best to eat healthy and get a decent amount of sleep in order to be the best version of myself”. Setting these new year resolutions can be difficult, and even more so sticking to them, so when making your goals you should start off by making small goals instead of big goals, and focusing on progress over perfection, and if any setbacks, don’t give up; failure is a part of the process, we are supposed to fail so we can learn and improve from it.
Overall, new year resolutions are a vital part to everyone’s lives because it forces people to take action to really assess their lives. These new year resolutions don’t take effect immediately, it will take time to really settle in. So don’t wait any longer, start that new lifestyle!
