Exploring New Year’s resolutions and how to make them stick
By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
Almost 24 full hours of life in 2026, and I already feel the effects of my resolution. It’s pretty embarrassing, actually. Deleting TikTok and Snapchat — my goal for the year — doesn’t feel like it should be novel or all that challenging, but I knew it would be, and that’s why I did it.
Right now, it’s still fresh enough that I don’t pick up my phone to see if the apps are still there, because I remember that they’re not. That doesn’t stop me from picking up my phone, because I still hope it could make me happy. I think this is the first stage of off-the-grid grief — I hope the next one is enlightenment, because I won’t survive anything more brutal.
In general, I think there are three different kinds of people when it comes to New Year’s resolutions: the ones who feel resolutions are silly and never try to uphold them, the ones who set ambitious intentions and quit in February and the ones who tough it out. After eight years of being a vegetarian, a 2018 New Year’s resolution, I feel confident that I am capable of being the latter. My successfully bacon-less, burger-less, chicken-sandwichless life has led me to be a campaign manager, poster child and cheerleader for resolutions.
I think it is important to dedicate yourself to improvement or change. Simply the act of dedicating yourself to something — anything — forces you to be mindful. The calendar change offers an opportunity for you to pay attention to where you are and to assess where you want to be. It can remind you to reflect and resolve, to build a resolute spirit. It may be a little cheesy to take something like a resolution so seriously, but I choose to think about it as embracing the natural shift of the season.
I often wonder if, halfway through the year, people remember their goals. It’s so easy to become lost in space and to feel no conscious connection or control over time, and it’s hard to simply exist in the face of all of it. We lose track of the movement of our lungs and thus forget that we are constantly breathing; we stop being aware. It is easiest to get lost, not when there is no destination, but when there is no guide.
Telling yourself on Jan. 1 that, come Dec. 31, you’ll weigh 50 pounds less or have 50 more dollars in your pocket is an action that gives yourself a destination. Resolutions fail without a map — to build something that lasts all year, if not longer, goals must have sign posts and they must be tailored to your own lifestyle and abilities.
Personally, I have realized that the easiest goals for me to follow are all or none. This understanding of myself extends past Jan. 1. Regardless of the calendar date, I am best at goals that force me to comply with strict rules. This is probably not the advice a therapist or expert would give for most things, but it’s what works for me. Maybe one year I will resolve to have a healthier way to form goals, but for now, I know that rules give me a guide.
I am deeply stubborn — I obey the rules I set for myself to prove that I can do so. I make iron-clad agreements because I am also relatively clever and look for loopholes, especially with the rules I set to better myself (improvement often isn’t much fun at first). Because of this, and to ensure success, I set regulations I can (and must) follow. Goals can be set at any time and will look different for everyone. The new year may just be the most glamorous kick-off party with a very loud countdown.
In light of the new year, I implore everyone to try setting a goal — even a small one. Learn what you need to do to stick to a goal and make guidelines for yourself. Make this the year you don’t quit in February. Make this the year your resolution started Jan. 18 because that’s when you realized how important it is: Don’t waste a whole year just because you missed the first week.
Everyone changes inevitably; we might as well try and make it for the better. I hope this is the year you learn harmonica or do something ridiculous, something fun or something different. Even if you don’t — and especially if you do — I wish you a Happy New Year!
Written by: Violet Zanzot— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
