BY
LAUREL MYERS
As the final bell of 2007 rang, people across the country made
promises to themselves to make 2008 a better year in some way
or another. They made vows to change their outlook, improve
their lifestyle or kick a nasty habit.
But how successful will these hordes of resolutionists be?
According to Wikipedia.org, nearly half of those who made
resolutions on New Year's Eve will have failed by February.
Greater Sudbury resident Irene Collins has had mixed successes
in the past but it didn't stop her from jumping on the
resolution bandwagon again this year.
"I make them but I don't always keep them," she said. "I think
it's part of New Year's."
But one year she did keep her resolution is still going strong
almost two decades later.
"I made a resolution to quit smoking and that was one I kept,"
she said with a smile. "I smoked my last cigarette at 11:45 pm
(on Dec. 31) about 19 years ago."
And though she was successful in her smoking cessation,
Collins' true arch nemesis over the years has been chocolate.
"I always say I'm giving up chocolate," she said. "I'm going to
try my darndest to give up chocolate and this year I'm really
determined, so I think I'll do it this year."
Despite her confidence in achieving her chocolateless goal,
Collins admitted sticking to it isn't a quality that runs
strongly through her genes.
"In my family, the success (with resolutions) is not all that
good," she said. "They can make them but they don't always
stick to them."
Irving Hall said he was going to give up scratch tickets but
admitted it was something he probably couldn't scratch for
good. He said his track record with resolutions has been fairly
successful in the past.
"Usually when I make a resolution, I keep it," he said. "Just
like smoking, I quit cold turkey about 22 years ago."
Richard Gauthier's New Year's resolutions have always been
about health, and though he hadn't pinpointed a specific
resolution at the time of the interview, he said he would
probably just reemphasize what he did last year.
"Just make sure I don't get off the track," he said. "I usually
stick to it."
Kristine Huhtala promised herself to be more patient with her
children, but recounting past resolutions, she said with a
chuckle that they hadn't gone very well.
"They usually last to March and then that's it," she said,
attributing it to a loss of incentive and a lack of will power.
This year she promised herself to be more patient with her
children, but is pessimistic about the outcome. However, she
still thinks they're a good idea.
"It gives people something to focus on."
After yo-yoing with his resolutions for years, Sebastien
Gervais decided to keep it simple this year.
"Consistency," he said. "If I say I'm going to do something,
I'll do it."
He said he's had success in the past with some resolutions, but
lost ground on others.
"I'd rather be consistent and take the small steps," he said.
An employee of Body Works Fitness and Wellness centre, Gervais
is in a prime location for seeing the success of other New
Year's Eve promises in Sudbury and said a resolution is a
personal choice.
"If New Year's seems like a cycle to you and seems like a fresh
start, by all means," he said. "Some people like Mondays to
start up. It all depends on your personal philosophies."
Did you make a New Year's resolution? Share it with us by commenting below.
