THE BEGINNING of a new year is the best time to make up new goals/resolutions. The most common goals people have for the start of a new year are exercising and dieting. These resolutions should come as no surprise, since people tend to focus a lot on their appearance for themselves and other people. 

However, Lancers have diverse goals set for 2020. “I’d like to learn how to be more independent, since I’m going to college next year,” Anna Juarez (12) said. Juarez hopes to work towards this goal as she knows that she will not be close to family during her time in college. Being independent also means having a job to support oneself financially, which Juarez is planning on doing.

Unfortunately, many new year’s resolutions go unfulfilled because people give up on them shortly into the year. To prevent this from happening, it is important to remember not to make too many goals. If one sets too many goals for themselves, it will be hard to invest adequate focus and energy on any of them, meaning the person is more likely to give up on their goals. Lancers are becoming increasingly aware of this tip, with many deciding to focus on a single goal in the upcoming new year. 

“My resolution would be to become more patient because I’m pretty bad at that,” Shayla Anderson (12) said. Anderson lives with two nieces and a nephew, so being patient with children is important to her. 

While some goals are geared towards serious lifestyle changes, other goals are purely set as a way of starting new, fun hobbies. “A skill I want to learn is to snowboard better,” Mr. Timothy said. Mr. Timothy wants to learn this skill so that he can catch up with his son and have even more fun with him. He also wants to get better at playing guitar. Mr. Timothy loves to play guitar; it is one of his favorite hobbies. He wants to try and practice guitar five or six days a week in order to get better.

Mr. Timothy exemplifies yet another important aspect of goal setting—having a plan and routine. Once one decides what goal(s) they want to accomplish in the upcoming year, it is important to set aside time and establish a routine to work towards accomplishing that goal. On top of this, one should keep track of how often they are adhering to their routine and reward themselves for consistency. This will help establish an incentive for completing the goal(s). 

Forming new year’s resolutions is common around the world. People want to improve the quality of their lives and find a new year symbolic of developing a new “them.” Establishing goals/resolutions can sometimes mean learning something new, but it can be as simple as devoting time towards stopping bad habits, such as procrastination. Regardless of what Lancers decide to focus on in 2020, it is important to invest in becoming overall better people.