Hoping to make a brighter year in 2021 with New Years Resolutions
Students fill their to do list with tasks that will help them improve their moods, help complete goals, and build healthy habits for 2021.
January 5, 2021
Each year as the holidays wind down and the year comes to a close, people everywhere are quick to make promises and plans to better themselves for the future. Unfortunately, these goals have proven to be easier said than done, as almost all New Year’s resolutions are quit or simply forgotten by mid-February. With COVID cases still soaring and 2020 being branded globally as one of the worst years yet, Richard Montgomery is ready for a fresh start. Now more than ever, students and teachers are finding ways to keep their resolutions, in hopes of some semblance of peace in 2021.
All New Year’s resolutions are different depending on who makes them and where they are in life. For example, Health and Physical Education teacher John Fahner feels that he does not even need one. “I don’t have one. I have daily resolutions, ones that I live by every day. I think New Year’s resolutions are quick fixes, and I don’t believe in that,” he said via Zoom.
He also went into detail about his daily resolutions during the pandemic and how he felt about sticking with them. “The pandemic has not affected my life mission statement, and it has not affected my life’s principles or my life’s values. It’s the flu and I deal with it, but it has not changed the things most important to me,” he stated. Mr. Fahrner preaches having a set of daily values to all of his classes, pandemic or not.
While some are taking the new year day by day, junior Natasha Nguyen is looking ahead and planning for her future as a student. “Since I’m a junior this year, I am definitely going to work on dedicating a couple of hours each week to studying for the SAT,” she said. Upperclassmen all around are struggling to navigate college applications from their own homes, but Nguyen is looking on the bright side of all this isolation. “The school day is shorter, I have fewer out-of-school activities, and the best thing to do for everyone right now is [to] stay inside, so I can use some of that time to study.” Resolutions to better study habits for a more successful school year definitely have to be altered, but not forgotten.
Cramming for the SAT is high on the to-do list for tons of students, but after a year that tested many both mentally and physically, some are making health a top priority. Sophomore Sam Navarro said, “I want to commit myself to living a better, healthier lifestyle overall.” Lots of people have set out to fulfill similar resolutions this year. However, with all this free time, anybody can become distracted from their goals. Navarro made this point, saying, “It is very tempting and easy to sit inside and relax all day.” With a little effort, though, anybody can stay on track with their resolutions. “I plan on keeping it by going on daily walks, committing myself more to my stress reliever which is making music, and sleeping eight to ten hours a day to keep my body right,” Navarro said. It is important to find resolutions that each individual enjoys and wants to keep doing. This is the only way they will last.
After the turbulent year everyone just had, it is vital that every student and staff member sets goals for 2021. Though amidst the still very apparent pandemic, motivation to actually work towards them can be scarce. Each person has to remember that no matter what, resolutions will look different this year. They do not have to follow trends or look like everyone else’s; each person just has to find one thing they can incorporate into their daily or weekly lives for a better, brighter, new year.
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