Photo Source: Ooma Canada
How can you make a real change in 2025?
By Lianne Ohayon, Associate Editor
12:00 am on January 1st rings in not only a new calendar year, but a year of intended change. The infamous tradition of “New Year’s resolutions” are a way for many individuals to frame their goals. For others, they are silly, unreasonable, and even baseless pacts to hypothetically make a change without actionable steps.
New Year’s resolutions have precedents going back thousands of years. Ancient Babylonian, Mesopotamian, and Syrian kingdoms were welcoming the New Year over 3,000 years ago. Festivals involved making vows to express gratitude to the gods for a bountiful harvest — very high-stakes promises to fulfill. A Babylonian king allegedly declared that, starting in the new year, he would be a better ruler, he began a tradition of creating “a public declaration of accountability.” This core tenet now manifests around the world.
However, as mentioned previously, New Year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to stick to, a trend that has been made fun of since the 1800s. From satirical quips in contemporary magazines to accusations of the “ulterior motives” that supposedly reinforce these promises, there seems to be a universal recognition of the tenuous nature of New Year’s resolutions. In fact, while half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions, merely 25% stay committed to them after a month, and only 1% of people maintain their resolution for 11-12 months.
But what do Trinity College students think?
“I always found [New Year’s resolutions] a little tacky, because at the end of the day, if you want to, like, make a change then you can just make that change now,” says Spencer Lambert, a fourth-year Trinity student. For him, resolutions are all about intention and mindset, and embracing that shift is critical to success.
He also recognizes that his personal execution of New Year’s resolutions isn’t always consistently positive or negative. On one hand, vows like going to the gym have “ups and downs,” and reading more often works for the first week, but there is one resolution Spencer really wants to embody this semester: taking it easy.
“It’s my last year now, my last semester, and my resolution is to be more relaxed, make more time for myself and do a bit less. I don’t think that’s gonna be a hard resolution to do. It’s just, you know, having the willpower to be like, ‘yeah, I don’t have to do everything.’”
Kaelem Moniz, a third-year, provided some alternative advice: “New Year’s resolution season is a great time to make the same resolution [as] year’s past without remembering it.”
But even he thoughtfully outlined some goals for his current tenure as Chair of the Trinity College Meeting. Firstly, he aims to appease the Trinity College community’s collective appreciation for food, determine the purpose of the stone flowers in the quad that disrupt all soccer games, and contribute to the Lawson Centre for Sustainability with the donation of shovels (sans-pail).
On a personal level, Kaelem is strongly committing to bringing back gowns in a sustainable, inclusive manner, but only after he perfects his Obama impression. And if he fails to maintain his resolutions? “I will step down into disgrace, blaming internal fights within my party.”
Last but not least, second-year Ariana Abbaszadeh chimed in with a well-rounded premise: “I like to make New Year’s resolutions for myself, however, I think it’s also a social construct.”
She goes on to add that “making New Year’s resolutions can keep you accountable, but a very small margin of people actually stick with their New Year’s resolutions… You have to have intention and not do it just because it’s a social thing and everyone writes them down on a board.”
Ariana chooses her goals wisely, ensuring that there is a specific goal associated with her resolutions, such as learning a language for an exchange opportunity. And, to make her endeavor more sustainable, Ariana looks to motivational speaker and author Mel Robbins with her 5-4-3-2-1 rule: “you can count yourself down in your head, and then you go and do it.”
All in all, New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to mobilize on new changes, but the key is to be consistent. Developing a mindset of growth and development can be powerful, making 2025 your year. Whether you want to hit the gym, learn a new language, or contribute to the new Larson Centre for Sustainability, this is your sign to go for it!
