What's your Resolution?
By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason
Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone almost too quickly, and 2007 is coming whether we are ready or not.
This is primarily the time of year that people take to look back at what has been accomplished or to decide what changes need to be made for the next year.
In years past, Americans typically decide on self-improvement like quitting smoking, losing weight, making more money, or spending more time with family just to name a few. The problem is few Americans actually stick to those resolutions throughout the year.
"A resolution is a promise to yourself, and it's easier to break a promise to yourself than anyone else," Lavonda Cruse, of Russellville said.
Merchants and health clubs create a sea of advertising about deals on exercise equipment or memberships during this time of year because losing weight is the number one resolution made each year.
Most health clubs do see a spike in memberships in January, but attendance slacks off during the year, according to news reports.
Many local residents have resolved to not make a resolution this year because of the very nature of New Year's resolutions. In fact, one hundred percent of those surveyed by The Franklin County Times said that they did not make resolutions because they wouldn't stick to it.
"If you need to make a change, it needs to make the day you realize the change is necessary, regardless of what day it is," Merrell Potter said.
The people polled all agreed that habits that need to be created or changed should just be changed instead of setting a resolution to change something in the future. Some experts claim that making resolutions actually delays progress instead of making it.
"People think 'I want to do this in the coming year.' but procrastinate and nothing is really changed, only put off until the next year," Cruse said.
The results of our survey indicate that we should all just do that, instead of talking about it, do it. Once it's done, we'll feel better about ourselves, whatever the change may be.
