We have now firmly entered the start of a new year, and with every new year comes new resolutions. At the Daily Campus Opinion Section, we’ve been inspired by a certain Tamara and a certain 365 buttons. So today we pose the question to our writers: what’s a New Year’s resolution that only makes sense to you?
Patrick Minnerly, Associate Opinion Editor: My New Year’s resolution that only makes sense to me is finishing the first draft of a book I’m attempting to write! This is a goal that makes a lot of sense to me, because I haven’t been able to finish a first draft before. It would mean a lot to me for this crucial step in the writing process to be completed.
Gianna Cassino, Weekly Columnist: 2026 is going to be my year of side quests! At the start of the year, I made a list of 26 random things I wanted to do, from going hiking to filling seats at an awards show. By December, I hope to collect a bunch of random experiences and hobbies. It’s an abnormally formatted resolution, but I don’t care because it only has to make sense to me for me to do it.
Raegan Skelly, Contributor: My New Year’s resolution this year is to learn how to juggle. I am unsure of the origin of me wanting to juggle, but I do have this theory that every guy that can backflip can also juggle. I’ve tried to inquire about the topic, but so far, I’ve only met one guy that can juggle and backflip, and everyone else I’ve asked can’t do either. Maybe it’s just the renaissance of the term “court jester” but I think juggling would be fun and is an attainable goal.
Gabrielle Wincherhern, Contributor: One of my New Year’s resolutions is to learn more about Chinese pirates. Historically, there was a lot of pirate activity in the South China Sea — spawning legends like Zheng Yi Sao, one of the most powerful female pirates ever — which also happens to be where some of my family is from. Also, I want to make some kind of pirate story, and most pirate media that I know of seems more focused on piracy in the Western world. I feel like if we’re going to glamourize Western pirates, it’s only fair that Chinese pirates get the same treatment, and to do that I need to actually learn about Chinese pirates. Now, were there significant differences between Western and Chinese pirates? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.
Tamara Segal, Staff Writer: My New Year’s resolution is actually to be more mindful by writing in my diary less. I recognize that this may not make sense to a lot of people because it is contradictory to a lot of popular advice on mindfulness, but in truth, I owe no explanation. And speaking as a proud Tamara, I really hope you all will respect that.
Sawyer Brown, Campus Correspondent: After spending the days leading up to the start of 2026 scrolling through old photos and videos, I quickly realized how comically little I had preserved to look back on. Admittedly, I don’t usually hold onto a New Year’s resolution, but seeing weeks of my life solely represented by screenshots and blurry images as someone who loves to reminisce is pretty disheartening. By the end of the year, I hope to compile a vast collection of memories as I aim to document everything, whether mundane, life-altering or anything else in between.
Bonnibel Lilith Rampertab, Campus Correspondent: I want to make sure other people achieve their New Year’s resolutions as my own New Year’s resolution. Not because I want to, though. I just want them to shut up about these so-called resolutions that they’ll probably forget about and help them make more concrete goals with attainable objectives and no yearly time limit. Replace the establishing of the goal on Jan. 1 with beginnings and endings that make sense to you at any time. You should ultimately choose when to start. Don’t let calendars limit your self-empowerment goals, people!