Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Though the studies vary in the exact percentage, widely ranging from 40% to as much as 90%, the second week in January is notorious for the mass exodus of people from the resolutions they optimistically made at the beginning of the year.

In fact, the second Friday in January is officially recognized as Quitters Day, the day that a large number of people decide to give up on those annual aspirations.

While the failure to keep those goals alive can often be disappointing for those for only the best intentions in the process, I say good riddance.

The whole concept of New Year’s resolutions has always been one that I’ve struggled with.

I always try my best to think of things that I can improve on throughout the year: shed a few pounds, go on more trips, read more books, pick up a new hobby and learn a new skill have all been featured on my lists in previous years.

And it’s always been my intention to follow through with those things.

But unfortunately, there’s this thing called life that gets in the way of me achieving those goals which is undoubtedly the case for a lot of you as well.

It’s incredibly easy within the fresh start of a new year to come up with a list of things that you’d like to accomplish, but there’s always going to be factors that stand in the way of those accomplishments.

Just to be clear, I’m not trying to advocate for giving up or just not making a list of resolutions. I think it’s an admirable thing to have goals and good intentions, and there’s no more satisfying feeling than accomplishing something through every adversity.

I just think we get way too specific when we’re jotting down our lists, and that’s where the disappointment comes from.

A couple of years ago, as the year turned and I found myself trying to come up with a list of resolutions, a thought entered my mind: “You’re being too specific.”

Instead of setting an exact number of books to read for the year to come, I just decided “Hey, maybe I’ll read a book or two here and there.”

Instead of resolving to buy a fancy gym membership and go three times a week, I told myself, “Maybe find ten minutes every so often to go for a walk somewhere.”

It worked slightly better for a while. I can’t say that I’m the avid reader that I wish that I was, but I did read a book that year. Granted, it was one that I had already read, but a book, nonetheless.

The walks didn’t happen that often, but I did go on a couple of small hikes.

We put too much pressure on ourselves to accomplish all of these things that I think we forget what the idea of the resolutions are supposed to be: an attempt at improving ourselves.

Maybe instead of a whole list we should just all resolve to try and do better. Don’t get specific and try and come up with incredible feats that may leave you disappointed in the end.

Just find small ways to try and improve yourself.

Open a door for somebody that you might not have otherwise. Say hello to that person you’ve been wanting to. Go do that one new thing you’ve been wanting to try, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get to.

Life is complex. Sometimes things get in the way and were not able to see things through.

We all need improvement, that’s part of being human, but if you’re not able to fix yourself in every single way that you had hoped to, that’s okay.

You’re not so bad the way you are now.