With 2020 being a time of chaos and new challenges now behind, students are focusing their efforts on working towards a better year in 2021, with constructive and positive goals for the future.
Although 2020 was a year full of uncharted territory, some students have found that their New Year’s resolutions for 2021 are quite similar to their goals from last year.
“My New Year’s resolutions are to improve my grades and to study more regularly,” junior Lauren Connel said. “They are the same exact ones as last year, my goals haven’t changed that much.”
Due to the rapid changes in their lives, other students have noticed their goals for 2021 have evolved and differed from last year’s goals.
“I would say my resolutions are different from 2020, because I feel I’ve matured greatly over this year,” freshman Matt Glover said.
Whether or not students’ goals have changed between 2020 and 2021, they have drastically diverged from their New Year’s resolutions when they were young children.
“When I was younger, my New Year’s resolutions were more silly and unachievable things like learning how to fly or owning a pet unicorn,” sophomore Jaedyn Wardrop said. “Now that I’m older, my New Year’s resolutions have become more realistic and are actually things I want to achieve.”
Along with academic goals, students are also hoping to improve their mental wellness, especially by minimizing procrastination.
“This year my New Year’s resolution is to stop procrastinating and reduce my stress,” Wardrop said.
Other students have also expressed their goal of working towards eliminating procrastination in their school work.
“My resolution is to specifically focus on my English grade,” Glover said. “During the first quarter, I procrastinated on my English assignments a lot, so for the rest of the year I’m hoping to improve on that struggle.”
So, how did student’s keep their resolutions last year and how do they plan on maintaining 2021’s New Year’s resolutions?
“I manage to maintain my goals with lots of hard work,” Glover said. “It was hard, but I feel obligated to continue that goal into the new year.”
Other students have found setting specific timelines for goals to be a valuable method for staying on track, along with praising themselves for accomplishments, even if they seem simple.
“If I made a resolution to watch more movies with my family, I would make my goal attainable by saying, ‘I will watch three movies with my family by the end of the month,’” senior Chloe Quintero said. “I keep my resolutions by celebrating small steps and having a positive outlook on life.”
While New Year’s resolutions have everyone feeling optimistic and excited in the beginning of the year, sometimes they fall through amidst life’s other responsibilities and are left in January.
“I try and do it and remember it for as long as I can, but usually end up forgetting about it within a few weeks,” Wardrop said. “The longest I have ever kept a New Year’s resolution is about a month.”
Between resolutions of increasing academic productivity, decreasing stress, and bonding with loved ones, NHS students are working towards creating a healthy, successful new year, both on campus and at home in 2021.
