As 2024 comes to a close and a new year in the Gregorian calendar begins, the New Year’s holiday is bound to take the United States by storm.

  Gathering with friends the evening before, watching the ball drop in Times Square, New York City on television, and counting down the clock until the new year strikes at midnight… These traditions have held strong for more than a century. One tradition is used not only as a celebration, but also as a way to improve oneself. Believed to have originated around four thousand years ago with the Babylonians, the practice of making resolutions for the upcoming year is a tradition many Americans have cherished since their childhoods.

   In 2023, 37 percent of Americans set a resolution, and 87 percent said they believed the goal or commitment would be completed within the year (forbes.com). Although the idea of keeping one or a few expectations of oneself may not seem daunting at the start, once the New Year’s party adrenaline wears off, reality hits on how difficult the task may be to achieve. A large number of New Year’s resolutions are a set-up for failure and disappointment unless certain approaches are taken when creating one.

   A factor that will impact one’s approach to a resolution is the primary goal to achieve it by the end of the year, or maintain it indefinitely. According to Forbes Magazine, the top five most common kinds of New Year’s resolutions are based on improving fitness, better finances, improving mental health, losing weight, and dieting. While these are all amazing goals to set, in 2023, the average person’s resolution lasted about three months and three weeks, and only six percent of people stuck with the resolution all the way to the end of the year (forbes.com). Some of these goals, such as losing weight and dieting, stem from societal pressures influencing one’s body image. The tradition of creating resolutions every year fuels this pressure, pushing those who are clinically healthy to try and diet or lose weight, just because they simply feel they must make a New Year’s resolution. As the weeks fly by, the goal created from societal pressure feels more and more unrealistic and eventually this means the person gives up and often feels a sense of shame or failure as a result.

   Despite this, there are ways to approach New Year’s resolutions that more often lead to success, giving a higher chance of following through with the goal. According to the University of California, Davis, the best ways to set oneself up for success in the new year is to be picky about resolutions, set concrete goals, and plan ahead (health.ucdavis.edu). If only one subject is decided on, such as exercise, there is a much higher chance that they’ll be completed.

   Now that the one resolution is selected, setting very specific goals is the next step in creating a realistic goal. A popular tactic in setting goals is the SMART method, standing for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. According to a company who gives advice aboutsetting goals, “This approach eliminates generalities and guesswork, sets a clear timeline, and makes it easier to track progress and identify missed milestones” (atlassian.com). By following these parameters and adjusting them to one’s goals, the SMART method can improve the result of the goal immensely.

   Lastly, planning ahead could be the make or break for a resolution to make it until the end of the year, and even beyond. Planning ahead can allow one to see how the future will pan out for  this goal, and the steps that are needed to achieve it. A good plan can increase productivity related to the plan, reduce stress, and allow for the planner to be flexible ahead of time, accounting for possible issues or constraints throughout the year.

   The New Year’s holiday provides a time to start reflecting on the past to create a better future and the resolutions tradition helps to achieve that. Whether the goal is targeted toward health, finance, academics, or any other topic, many New Year’s resolutions fall victim to societal pressures and unrealistic expectations. Despite this, approaching it with intention will help one’s goal to flourish and increase the likelihood of success. By honing in on one meaningful goal, using specific methods such as the SMART method to define steps, and crafting a well-defined schedule and plan for the future, a simple resolution can turn into an achievement over a year or even a lifetime. The New Year gives a fresh start to focus on what is important, getting in the correct mindset, and taking the new and exciting future that 2025 has to offer.