By Jamie Jung, John Marshall High School, Grade 11
January 10, 2011___Another new year has kicked off in America with the classic drop of the crystal ball in New York’s Times Square and with the traditional countdown to the end of one year and the beginning of another, there are new resolutions to be made.
“It’s like a new semester at school. You get the opportunity to start over, and maybe failed attempts from previous years motivate people into following their resolution during the next new year,” Jazmine Kenny, 16, said.
“I want to stop procrastinating, get straight A’s, and not be lazy,” Rachel Kim, 17, shared.
“I want to successfully maintain my ‘Be Mature’ project – where I act more maturely, talk more maturely, and dress more maturely – since I’m going to college and have to be ready. I want to also be more respectful to the elderly,” Sharifah Jefri, 17, said.
But just as new resolutions are traditionally made, they are also traditionally broken very easily.
“Most people do not follow their resolutions because society is too busy and fast-paced to follow them,” Wesley Wong, 17, explained. “Also, you need enough motivation to follow your resolutions, and frankly, most people say they’ll do this and that, but promises are easier said than kept.”
“If you’re not truly motivated, it’s not going to work,” Kim said.
So, if you are committed to the hard work it takes to realize your resolution, Wong says the achievement is rewarding. “I felt satisfaction after achieving my resolution, which was excelling in my grades.”
Realistic and reasonable resolutions are most likely to be kept. Many people seem to achieve their resolutions if their motivation is rooted in the actual desire to change course in the right direction – and not just because it is a new year.
