The New Year is just around the corner. For many of us, it’s a time of reflection, a time to look at where
we’ve been and where we’re going. Every year many Americans take part in the tradition of making a
New Year’s resolution.
According to The Journal of Clinical Psychology at the University of Scranton, 45% of Americans make one or more resolutions each year. Topping the chart for resolutions: losing weight, getting organized and spending less money.
Unfortunately, after six months, nearly half of those who make resolutions have failed to keep them.
Only 8 percent are ultimately successful. It’s not all bad news though– studies find people who make explicit
resolutions, and not last minute ones, are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals.
The Boyle Heights Beat took to the streets to find out what your resolutions are.
Moe Sanchez, a 38-year-old Boyle Heights resident says that he plans to take his resolution one day at a time. “You can’t really foresee what is really going to happen,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez did not have a resolution at the time of the interview but added he now might plan one knowing the success rates are higher. “If you do one or two you could probably stick to it,” said Sanchez.
Boyle Heights resident Yasha Rivera, 20, is making a resolution to move into her own place. She says she feels confident she’ll reach her goal, because she has been planning to make this change long before the New Year.
While nearly half of New Year’s resolutions have to do with self-improvement, younger people are more likely to be successful. Thirty-nine percent of people in their twenties achieve their resolution, while only 14 percent of those over 50 achieve success.
Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? Are you good at keeping them? Share your secret with us.
Happy New Year!
Photo Credit: Flickr via Joseph Sirucka
