New Year, New Goals

Sophomore Vivienne Tedder fulfilling one of her other small goals to read more in 2026. 

Photo Creds: Myra Stern

Ria Titus, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

On January 1, seeing an increase in people at the gym is a common occurrence. This is because of New Year’s Resolutions. Every year, people make a list of goals for themselves and usually cross them off as the year progresses. Resolutions cause a change in people’s mindsets. Glancing at the calendar makes them aware of the ever-present waning gift of time. New Year’s resolutions have always been a prominent thing in many students' lives, something that helps them make use of their fresh start.

“I think it gives people a fresh start, and it allows them to have a reason to start something, even if they've been wanting to for a while,” said sophomore Vivienne Tedder. “They can have a definite reason, and if it's a new year, you can have a new start.”

The history of New Year's resolutions goes back over 4,000 years to ancient Babylonian times. They used to have 12 day festival in which they would make their resolutions to make their year better. People still follow in the footsteps of their ancient counterparts in modern society and make a new list of goals for the new year. They surely are not the same as they used to be. Resolutions back then were based in religion, while in the present day people often focus on goals that are in their own control.

“My New Year's resolutions are probably to read a minimum of 15 books,” said sophomore Riley Tippet. “I want to read more and spend more time with my friends and my family.”

Small goals like Tippets’s are what many people do with their resolutions. Small goals keep people active with something to work toward in the new year. Additionally, setting them right on January 1 always makes completion more likely.

“At the end of the year, my family likes to reflect on everything we’ve managed to accomplish, no matter how big or small the achievement may be, " said sophomore Kiran Dhungana. “It’s important to be proud of yourself, and making goals is a great way to do that.”

Many people make resolutions because it’s a family tradition. Pulling out a sheet of paper and brainstorming as a family is a common experience for many students. Parents want to teach their children how setting goals is healthy and also bring their family into a tradition that they’ve done their whole life. It doesn’t have to be a whole family experience, though. If your family never did it in the past, you could still start. The important thing for many people is to just do them. 

“I want to learn how to cook, and also, I want to watch 100 movies,” said Tedder. “I think [New Year’s Resolutions] gives people a fresh start, and it allows them to lock in.”

Making resolutions is a great way to inspire pride in yourself. It gives many people a chance to celebrate their year, whether they had a bad one or not. Even if every resolution on the list doesn’t get checked off, students can celebrate the ones that did. Crossing even one goal off that mental checklist keeps people going. Goals can always last for more than one year, and many goals take more than a decade for some. Goals are the driving force of life for many people, and having those targets to focus on for the whole year keeps people on track and gives them something to go back to when other plans go wrong.