Experts say simplicity is the key to keeping your New Years’ resolutions
By Charles Christian
It’s the time of year when Christmas lists are replaced by another kind of list: New Year’s resolutions.
According to a recent survey, the three most popular resolutions involve saving money, eating smarter and working out more.
Even around St. Joseph, about a half a dozen people who shared resolutions for 2025 cited one or more of these top three in their responses.
A local college student named Hadley said her goal is to be in the gym more often in 2025.
Another local student named Addie said she wanted to improve her financial situation by getting her real estate business moving forward.
Other community members have more relational goals.
A Northwest Missouri State University student named Sienna said, “My New Year’s resolution is to get closer to God.”
Ryan Dowell, a longtime St. Joseph resident, said his goals don’t change much from year to year.
“I want to try to be a better person,” Dowell said. “I want to try to help the community through various avenues, like donating more of my time.”
Some goals relate to our professions; That was the case for Madison Kovac, a local middle school teacher.
“One of my biggest resolutions is to be caught up with my grading,” Kovac said. “I don’t want to wait until the last minute to grade.”
According to the American Psychological Association, simplicity and consistency are the keys to making New Years’ resolutions a consistent part of our growth as the year begins.
The APA suggest using what they call the “SMART” approach when setting resolutions.
SMART is an acronym that stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound resolutions.
Experts also recommend to set check-in times throughout the year for your New Years’ resolutions to see what is working or to adjust your resolutions slightly as needed.
These “Check-Ins” are essential because putting too much pressure on ourselves when it comes to New Years’ resolutions can be counterproductive.
Instead, the APA reminds that the goal for resolutions is self-improvement, rather than added stress.
