Resolutions: pointless?

Research shows that people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to obtain their goals than people who don’t make resolutions according to http://www.proactivechange.com/habits/resolutions/research.htm.

Some students on campus are preparing themselves to fulfill their resolutions this year.

Alissa Williams, 20, a junior business administration student from Tampa, said her resolution this semester is to get in shape.

“I feel like that’s something I can do to make myself better,” Williams said. “I started on the first running.”

According to the Web site, getting in shape is one of the top resolutions that Americans make each year.

Cara Aska, 21, a senior elementary education student from Tampa whose resolution is also staying in shape, said her resolution last year was the same, but she failed to keep up with it. She said this year she plans on keeping it.

“This year I set it more realistically,” Aska said. “I’m also going to have motivated friends to call and say, ‘hey you want to go work out with me?’ “

While some students on campus resolve to get in shape, other students’ resolutions vary. Kevin Fuller, 19, a sophomore elementary education student from Princeton, N.J, said his resolution is not to get a C in any of his classes.

“I was bored and I decided to come up with it,” Fuller said. “Each year (my grades) gets better.”

Unlike Fuller who is working toward his resolution this year, some students on campus do not believe in resolutions.

“I don’t believe in resolutions because it encourages you to procrastinate until the end of the year,” said Gavin Molden, 19, a sophomore business administration student from Birmingham, Ala. “I don’t do resolutions because I’m making daily steps to improve myself.”

Molden said students who make resolutions are most likely not going to be able to accomplish them so they should not set them.

“It should be a daily thing,” Molden said. “If every Sunday you need to reflect back on your work, then that’s what you need to do.”

While Molden does not believe in resolutions, some students said resolutions are good to have.

Julia Conwell, 18, a freshman theatre student from Atlanta, said she believes in resolutions because they are always a way to fix problems you had in the previous year.

“It’s like your leaving your baggage in the year before behind,” Conwell said. “It’s good to start off the year new.”

Conwell is not the only student who believes in resolutions. For Wilbert Martin, 22, a senior criminal justice student from Savannah, Ga., resolutions are important for students because students have a better chance with getting rid of bad habits.

“I feel that they’re very important for future goals,” Conwell said. “I believe if you make a resolution, you might be more determined to keep it.”

Conwell said keeping the resolution depends on the individual, but he thinks resolutions are easy to tackle.

“It depends on the person if you have the will to stick to it,” Conwell said. “The hardest part about keeping a resolution is kicking a bad habit like smoking or drinking.”