Are resolutions made only to be broken?
Making resolutions is a tradition practised in most parts of the world and each year several people set goals for themselves
POLOKWANE – A study in 2007 by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol, UK involving 3 000 people, showed 88% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.
Polokwane residents share whether they still set goals for themselves and if they think it is important.
Emily Mathobela says she always makes resolutions.
“I have already made a few of them. I think it is important to make them because as a person you have to grow and leave other things behind.
“I want to be less vain, because I’m a person who loves fashion and looking good, so I really want to do less of that this year. I am going to make sure I follow through with them and be more focused.”
Mercy Mamabolo says: “I always set certain goals for myself because some things really do not take me anywhere. I want to revive my connection with God and go to church more because I haven’t gone in a while. I also want to improve my school results this year because I haven’t been doing as well as I should in the previous years. I want to do a lot better health wise too. I want to go to gym and be fit. I want to devote more time to making sure I achieve my goals this year.”
“I didn’t make any resolutions this year. I’m already focused so nothing gets in the way of me doing what I want. I think it is pointless to make them because I do not stick to them anyway. I’ll just plan my things properly and the rest will sort itself out. Maybe in the coming years I might reconsider making resolutions, but for now I won’t,” says Shocky Tjale.
Mike Lekgau thinks making resolutions should be everyone’s priority.
“I have goals already and I believe I can achieve them. Being from a poor family, I think it has sometimes been hard to follow my dreams. I think it is necessary to make resolutions because as a person you see what your mistakes are and you correct them. So I’m making the decision to be disciplined. It’s important for us to know right from wrong and do whatever it takes to fulfill our dreams.”
“I believe people should make resolutions because if you’ve made mistakes then this is your time to reflect. I refer to them as recommendations, you use them as a sort of blueprint of how to do things better. The trick is to prioritise and do whatever it takes,” says Given Moloto.
Senyatsi Mohlophi has this to say: “I made resolutions only because last year I didn’t do so well at school so I’m going concentrate on that. The best thing to do now is to put in a lot more effort and stick to my dreams. But overall it is important for people to make plans for the future”.
