December 31st is the last day of the year. Whether you had the worst year, the best, or had a lot of highs and lows, everything starts clean again as the clock strikes midnight. 

With the start of the new year comes new goals, as people make a variety of resolutions each year. The usual ones are to start working out more, using phones less, and eating healthier. But let’s be real, how many people actually follow through with these goals?

I asked students around my school if they made a resolution at the start of 2025. The results of a sample show that 64% of students made a resolution, with only 35% following through to the end of the year. But although there were 65% of students who didn’t follow through with their resolutions, we have to remember that doing something for a whole year is a very difficult challenge. 

Of the people who responded to my questions, 28% of respondents said that they made the same resolution in 2026 as they did last year in 2025. 

So what are the goals for Point Pleasant Boro High School students in 2026? The responses range from starting to journal, to getting out of comfort zones, to picking up more hobbies, spending less time on phones, and complimenting people more. This year brings more goals for both the students here at the high school, as well as people around the world, looking to create the best version of themselves. 

One senior at Point Pleasant Boro High School, Ella Knapp, made a resolution for this year. Her resolution was the same as last year: to only eat desserts on the weekends. I asked her what made it hard for her to follow through with this goal last year, and she stated, “My siblings eating dessert last year during the weekdays made it difficult to follow through with my goal.” Since they would have the desserts, she would want to grab a bite during the week as well. This year, though, she is determined to follow through with this challenge. She mentions how, “It will be easier [to follow through with her resolution] since other people will be starting their goals.” She raises the fact that “it will eventually become a routine.” Ella hopes to continue this goal till at least the summer.

So the question is: Even if we don’t follow through with our resolutions, should we still make them? The answer, in my opinion, is yes.

The New Year starts 11 days after the start of winter, a natural time of rest. Despite this, resolutions are a good way to encourage motivation to do something productive in the dead of winter, even if it doesn’t carry on to the spring.