MSU students determined to keep New Year’s resolutions 

With every new year comes New Year’s resolutions. People often don’t stick with them because they’re too ambitious, or they lose  motivation by the year’s first week. 

Minnesota State theater major Hunter Conrad said he is motivated by his New Year’s resolutions and doesn’t want to repeat past failed attempts. His goal for the new year is to read more acting books and journal his thoughts to help apply them to the roles he auditions for. 

“Being able to read something, write it down and then be able to look back and say, ‘This is what I want to do, or this is a takeaway from the book,’ and try to apply it to my audition or my show,” said Conrad. 

Every year, the saying “new year, new me” is on everyone’s minds for the first few days of January. Conrad said this year he will take a different approach to the saying. 

“It’s going to be the same me; I just think I’m going to have different approaches to life and different approaches to my career and my success,” said Conrad. “I’m hoping to keep my personality the same this year.” 

For others, New Year’s resolutions are a way of connecting with people and mending relationships. Brady Waibel said he hopes this year is better than last, as it was rough for him. For 2024, he said he has a “newfound perspective.” 

“I want to kind of foster the relationships that I have, especially the friendships. I have a lot of friends on both coasts and in town,” said Waibel. “I think it’s just really important to me to keep developing those and kind of not taking them for granted.” 

Waibel said that he never stuck with his New Year’s resolutions because life got in the way, and he thinks it happens to many people. 

“You start out with good intentions, and then things get in the way of that. It’s kind of easy to drop the newest thing,” said Waibel. “So that’s why it’s kind of easy to drop them come February. After that, it’s like, ‘Oh, I got other things to do.’” 
For some, making New Year’s resolutions isn’t their thing because of how likely they are not to follow through with them. Maya Rutledge did not make any this year, as she said it’s pointless.

“I just don’t tend to follow through on very long-term commitments like that that are not physical. I find it hard to keep myself accountable,” said Rutledge. “Intangible things like that are harder for me to keep track of. I also think some people have the same issue with them that I do, or they just set unrealistic goals.”

Write to Lauren Viska at Lauren.viska@mnsu.edu