With the end of the month around the corner, students at Arrowhead are starting to plan out their New Year’s resolutions.

According to history.com, the ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. The tradition is one that still lives on.

According to Michael Lazar of The Huffington Post, GO Banking Rates did a poll this year to see what the most popular New Year’s Resolutions are. They conducted a survey of over 5,000 people. The results concluded that over 45% said living life to its fullest was their number one resolution. The results are as follows:

• Enjoy life to the fullest (45.7%)
• Live a healthier lifestyle (41.1%)
• Lose weight (39.6%)
• Spend more time with family and friends (33.2%)
• Save more, spend less (30.1%)
• Pay down debt (27.5%)

Casie Wiese, an Arrowhead senior says, “I don’t believe in [New Year’s resolutions]. They never work or last and it’s just people thinking their going to improve themselves but it lasts like a month, so it’s kind of a waste of time if you ask me.”

Maia Szalavitz, of Time Magazine, says that according to a Marist poll done in 2008, “while 65% of people who made a resolution in 2008 kept their promise for at least part of the year, 35% never even made it out of the gate.”

The GO Banking Rates survey, according Lazar, also concluded the following :

• “More than half of Americans (57.6 percent) are setting a money goal.

• Women are more focused on enjoying life to the fullest than men (at 47.6 percent vs. 41.4 percent) as well as losing weight (at 40.3 percent vs. 36.7 percent of men).
• While millennials are the age group most concerned with spending less and saving more money in 2016, Gen Xers are the most focused on paying down their debt.
• “Enjoy life to the fullest” is the top resolution of residents in 30 states”

Sidney Johnson, an Arrowhead senior who is part of the varsity swim team and National Honors Society, says, “I believe New Year’s resolutions are good ideas and come from good intentions but I do agree that not many people follow them. I think it helps to have a partner or friend to keep you on track. It’s important also to keep the resolution a reasonable goal that you know you can realistically achieve. If the goal isn’t realistic, it’s easy to give up and feel frustrated with yourself. Normally, each year I try to eat healthier or overall just be a more positive person. Overall, I just try to make small changes to improve my life, which I think I successfully do. I think just the hope that the new year will be better than the previous and that it will bring new experiences and develop a better you is what’s most important.”