With the new year, many Oakton students have made resolutions for how they’d like to improve or change themselves throughout the year, or for things they’d like to accomplish. The key to success in this case is establishing good ways to consistently build good habits and break bad ones. So, how can you do that?

     According to Oakton’s social worker, Rachel Cherian, the most important factor behind keeping good habits and losing bad ones is about “continuing to be committed to change” and “making it every single day,” since resolutions often pay off in the future as opposed to now. While this may be difficult or even seem vague at first, it’s extremely significant in maintaining any goal in the long term. If anyone wants to accomplish something, they have to truly desire it, not just want it on a whim. After all, “making a resolution isn’t just made once and done; it means to make it again and again”, and history has shown time and time again that people are capable of equally amazing or horrific things if they genuinely want something.

     The reason many people become easily discouraged with their resolutions is that they set unrealistically high expectations for what they want to accomplish, and when it doesn’t happen fast enough they feel inclined to give up. For this reason, Mrs. Cherian says it’s important to “forgive ourselves because we’re our own harshest critic” and to “examine what impacted it [the mistake]” and use it as an “opportunity to learn and analyze what to do differently”, rather than to give up altogether. Mistakes are a part of human nature, and even if that means falling back into an old habit sometimes, it doesn’t mean that someone can’t succeed. If anything, mistakes are proof that change is taking place, and a person’s attitude towards themselves and how they choose to overcome any setbacks play just as important of a role in maintaining a habit as being motivated to begin it. But…what about people who struggle to even begin a habit?

     Sometimes, it seems like making a resolution is similar to wish on a shooting star – people idly feel a sense of hope while knowing it’ll pass and nothing will happen. While breaking or making habits is extremely important, many people struggle to even start, whether it’s due to a lack of time or motivation. If making or finding time is an issue, it’s important for people to ask themselves whether they truly desire to achieve their resolution, or if they should reevaluate their goal entirely to make it more feasible for their busy schedule. Whether it’s to study, play video games, to sleep, or to eat, people always make time for what they desire, so if the problem is a matter of motivation, then it’s time to turn the resolution into a priority and, as said by Mrs. Cherian, “structure their day so they make enough time” to complete the resolution, whether it’s to sleep earlier, lose weight, or anything else. For people who are genuinely busy and still wish to restructure themselves, a helpful tactic can be to use the SMART goals technique, otherwise known as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals. A resolution is a goal, and to reach a goal, people need to develop their habits through a structure which accounts for their limits, which makes this technique an ideal place to start as a beginner. 

     In short, continuity is everything is building or breaking habits. People will encounter mistakes because it’s part of being human to mess up, but if they perceive it as a chance to grow and develop, they’ll be more encouraged to maintain or break whatever habit they’re working towards. As said by Mrs. Cheria, “you can’t see try, but you can see do”, and with so many cougars brimming with potential and goals at Oakton, people are bound to reach their goals and do many amazing things.