Most people make resolutions for the new year; some are as simple as eating healthier or taking time out of the day to spend with family. Others are more difficult, like following a daily schedule or reflecting on a certain word throughout the year. Personally, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. However, I believe that it can be beneficial for those that do.

Some popular resolutions include focusing on self-care, taking up a new hobby, learning a new skill, reading more, and making new friends, according to a 2018 YouGov study. The study also shows that the top three resolutions are to eat healthier, get more exercise, and save money.

However, most of these resolutions are broken by the end of the first week of January. According to a study conducted by the University of Scranton, only 8 percent of Americans keep their New Year’s resolutions by the end of the year. This failure is mostly caused by a lack of motivation or vague goal-setting. For example, one might say they want to exercise more instead of being more specific like planning out a schedule to attend the gym daily.

Additionally, almost one-third of Americans don’t make any resolutions. The cause of this is the small success rate. Some find it pointless to make resolutions because they don’t want to start the new year out in defeat. I am like these people; I don’t make resolutions because I feel that I wouldn’t be able to keep them and ultimately find myself starting out the year in failure.

Whether to make a new year’s resolution or not is entirely up to the individual. However, it does help motivate one to work towards and achieve their goals faster. For best results, choose a resolution that will challenge you but is still within reach of your capabilities. Besides, knowing that you kept at something for an entire year not only shows that you were determined but also provides a feeling of accomplishment.