In our society, people are always looking to positively change themselves in various aspects of their lives. Whether it is in their social lives, work, school, or well-being, it is common to look for growth. The arrival of a new year serves as a prime time in a people’s lives to accomplish their specific goals due to the extreme feeling of a new beginning that it provides. It is a platform for reinvention and development.

The word “resolution” is defined as a firm decision to do or not to do something, yet it is also seen as a solution to a problem. The decision to find a solution to a problem, made at the start of a new year, is commonly known as and has been coined the term a “New Year’s resolution.” This concept has been practiced since ancient times. According to History.com, “The origin of making New Year’s resolutions rests with the Babylonians, who some 4,000 years ago, reportedly made promises to the gods in hopes they’d earn good favor in the coming year. They often resolved to get out of debt.”

There are many benefits to making a New Year’s resolution. Depending on the resolution, they can help you have more energy, look and feel better, save money and many other things. Resolutions take time and patience to complete, but are worth it in the end when a transformation occurs.

Resolutions are by no means the easiest things to keep up with. Oftentimes students have other commitments such as homework, sports, family and friends that sometime get in the way. In order to follow through with your goal, however, a plan must be set. Here are four steps that a person looking to succeed in their resolution should take:

1. Be realistic. Make sure that whatever goal you make, it is something you believe you can reach. Sometimes not finishing what you set out to do can discourage you even more. This also pertains to making goals that are not too easy to attain; challenge yourself within your abilities.

2. Identify your long-term goals. Make it easier on yourself by knowing exactly where you need to be at a specific point in time. This will help you make short-term goals that act as “checkpoints” to the bigger goal.

3. Commit to the resolution. Within reason, a person should dedicate most of their time towards this. This can include doing larger things such as working out or buying healthy foods, or smaller things such as writing down “to-do’s,” making checklists, or taking pictures.

4. Reward Yourself. After completing every short-term goal on the journey to a large goal, reward yourself with something good to emphasize and encourage continued positive behavior. This will confirm that the actions you having been taking are meaningful.

Senior Elise Felker decided to make a goal for herself that she hopes to strive to achieve throughout the whole year. “For most of my life, I have been really disorganized. I constantly struggle with keeping my possessions in order, finding things that I need, and I usually tend to easily get distracted from the goals I need to accomplish,” said Felker. “I have therefore lost many homework pages, important papers and a lot of pencils. I have decided that this year my New Year’s resolution is to be more organized because I think that it will keep me more focused and help me in college.”

Felker has thought about her resolution because it is a persistent issue in her life. However, she intends to find a way to kick her habit to the curb. “I am just weeks into my resolution and have already seen a difference,” said Felker. “To be more organized, I have made my own homemade pencil case in which I keep all of my pens and pencils. So far, I haven’t lost anything!”

Certainly, some resolutions might not work out in the end. A person might quit after the first month, week or even day, for many different reasons. Abandoned resolutions can lead to confusion, questioning, and doubt. However, even though they might not be the best fit for everyone, it definitely does not hurt to try. It might seem as a waste of time,  but trying new things can show you what suits you best, and what goals prove to be realistic in your life.