When people think of the New Year, people usually think of hitting the big reset button and starting anew. So, New Year’s resolutions came to symbolize a new beginning and what people want to do more in the new year. 

   People always come up with different New Year resolutions, like I’m going to work out more or I’m going to get more sleep. But does this work? Better question, do people follow these resolutions? 

   Cynthia Vinney, writer for the platform verywell mind, stated, “So many people committing to goals for the new year, the hope and optimism that change can happen is in the air. The reality is, however, that over 90% of New Year’s resolutions will be abandoned within just a few months.” 

   Vinney believes that the reason why over 90% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions is because they are just simply not ready for the change. She also believes that optimism alone can’t or won’t result in the change people hope for when they follow their resolutions. 

   But what about actual people? How are they holding up after three weeks of being in this new year? A freshman in college, Connor Castro, has no resolutions and doesn’t see the need to have any, he stated, “The reason why I don’t have them is because it’s kind of an excuse to be better at the start of the year. Why start at the new year when you can start at any point in the year?” 

   Castro believes that people can start doing better for themselves whenever they want. So be it at the beginning of the year, the middle, or the end. He sees starting a resolution doesn’t have a timed date to begin. 

   Castro also believes that people shouldn’t rely on a new year to start anew and they should be relying on themselves to be better or do better. He also stated that if he wanted to improve himself then he would do that the minute he wanted to and not wait till the new year. 

   In contrast, Alinah Gaitan, a Kennedy alumni, does have a New Year’s resolution and wants to be a better version of herself compared to last year. She has been doing pretty well following this resolution; she stated, “I feel that it’s good to have a resolution/goal because, in my opinion, it helps me create a good and healthy future for myself and hopefully take the right path.” 

  Gaitan also doesn’t see the need to beat herself up for not sticking to her resolution, instead, she takes a step back and tells herself that everything will be ok or tells herself not to give up and continue going with her resolution. Everyone has different resolutions for the new year and different ways to hit the big reset button.