As Thanksgiving ends and Christmas approaches, it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. This can be a personal goal, breaking a habit, or even creating new patterns for the new year.

According to History.com, New Year’s resolutions come from ancient Babylonians thousands of years ago. In 200 B.C., the Babylonians created a celebration of the new year called “Akitu”, which was a reference to the vernal equinox. The celebration was the beginning of the farming season, so people made promises to pay off their past debts.

The Babylonian New Year was soon adopted by the ancient Romans, as well as the tradition of resolutions. As these ideas spread over the East, settlers traveling to America got word of these traditions and adopted them themselves. By the 17th century, New Year’s resolutions became very popular, more shifting to self-evaluation and development.

Junior, Leah Giese plans on spending her 2023 improving herself. Giese stated that her New Year’s resolution is to focus on self-improvement. She wants to start a new hobby that will help improve her mental health, such as going to the gym, reading, writing in a journal, etc. “I’m planning on doing these things to show myself that it’s ok to be alone and not rely on others,” Giese states.

This goal was inspired by spending most of 2022 depending on others for her own happiness. She’s decided to put herself first before helping others. This goal is crucial to Giese, who shares, “I truly believe my mental health will improve if I stick to this goal in 2023.”

Sophomore Tessa Koshkarian plans on working her hardest in the upcoming year. She is a part of the Milford Varsity Dance Team, which she just joined this year and she loves the program. Her goal consists of holding herself accountable, so she can perform her best for her team at Nationals. Koshkarian states her team members inspired her to pursue this goal. “My team members are constantly pushing themselves to be better dancers, which helped me gain confidence and strength.” She plans on pushing herself to her fullest potential to be like her surrounding team members.

This goal is specifically important to Koshkarian because she wants to do her best for the seniors, especially her older sister, Brooke Koshkarian. She’s learning to be confident and consistent throughout her routines and wants to keep it that way. “I want to make sure we never lose our motivation,” said Koshkarian.

Starting out in 2023, both Giese and Koshkarian have ambitious goals for the year. They plan on keeping themselves accountable for completing them. Both of these girls’ goals include them bettering themselves in some way. Their new year is bound to be wonderful when they create their new and improved habits.