Why My New Year’s Resolution Is Different This Year
By Lily, a senior at MHS
“This year, I’m going to get Distinguished Honor Roll.”
“This year, I will finally start working out.”
“This year, I will de-stress.”
New Year’s resolutions are a tradition. Every year as the ball dropped, I remember clenching my eyes and speaking my goals into existence. I would tell myself that in the new year, I would find what I need—whether that be peace, focus, positivity, or motivation. I would tell myself on January 1st that I would change, and most importantly, I would change for the better. However, most years, I didn’t follow through with these resolutions.
The thing I failed to realize was that these changes wouldn’t just come to me because I decided I wanted them in my life. It had to be an everyday decision.
I had to learn to wake up each day and start my day searching for these things in everything I did. As soon as I started working for the things I wanted—instead of just saying I wanted them—I obtained them.
I enrolled at Milton Hershey School in 2014 as a freshman, and throughout the past three years, I have gained a work ethic I would have never developed at home. I’ve learned to strive for what I want in life, and if I don’t get it right away, to keep trying. I’ve learned the process of change is long and tiring, but it’s well worth the end result. Although I still have many years to go and many more resolutions to make, I know I can do everything I dream of doing as long as I choose to work for it.
As a senior, I am rapidly approaching graduation—a day that felt unobtainable three years ago. When I graduate, I plan on attending a four-year college and, eventually, law school so I can pass the Bar Exam and become a practicing defense attorney. These are big dreams, but I’m determined to make them a reality.
This year, my New Year’s resolutions are a little different than before. In 2018, I want to finish strong and graduate knowing I am the best version of myself. I want to continue taking steps toward the future that I want. I want to make everyone proud who has inspired me throughout my journey. And I plan on making all of these a reality by choosing to work for them at the start of each day.
I encourage anyone who is reading this to do the same.
Set goals for yourself and work for them. Start today. Start every day. And if it doesn’t work out immediately, keep pushing until it does.