What is Your New Year Resolution?

Another year has come to an end, and another has just begun. 

So, now that the new year is here, what resolutions are you going to make? Making New Year's resolutions is a time-honored tradition all around the world. We all hope for a better future--especially when the year we're leaving behind has been a tough one.

According to research on the topic, about 60 percent of us admit that we make New Year's resolutions but only about 8 percent of us are successful in achieving them. Regardless of whether we achieved our previous resolutions, most of us go right ahead and make a new set of resolutions -- hoping for the best.

There are certain resolutions you hear every year, resolutions you’ve probably made yourself, resolutions like: Exercise more. Quit smoking. Drink less. Save money. Eat healthier. Get a promotion. Learn a language. Learn an instrument. Learn a new skill.

It doesn’t matter what resolution you make, because pretty much anything you choose is going to boil down to the same thing. Better yourself. Be proud of yourself. Become the kind of person you always wished you were.

You should keep that in mind as you head into the new year. You should remember the goal isn’t to harass yourself. It isn’t to make yourself miserable. No, breaking a bad habit or creating a healthy new habit isn’t going to be easy. There are going to be moments when you wonder why you’re putting yourself through all this stress. But you have to remember the reason is because you want to better yourself. Because you want to be able to look in the mirror and say you’re proud of yourself. At the end of the day, that’s who you’re doing this for. Yourself.

Here are a few more interesting facts about New Year's resolutions:

• Saving money is one of the top five New Year's resolutions and also in the top five for most commonly failed.
• More than half of respondents said they fail their resolution before January 31.
• Women make health-focused resolutions while men pledge to find a new job and lay off the alcohol.

So, what are we all wishing for in 2020? Here are the top 10 New Year's resolutions according to a survey carried out.

1. Diet or eat healthier (71 percent)

2. Exercise more (65 percent)

3. Lose weight (54 percent)

4. Save more and spend less (32 percent)

5. Learn a new skill or hobby (26 percent)

6. Quit smoking (21 percent)

7. Read more (17 percent)

8. Find another job (16 percent)

9. Drink less alcohol (15 percent)

10. Spend more time with family and friends (13 percent)

• Remember, your reasoning behind a goal is just as important as the goal itself. There’s a huge difference between going to the gym because you want to feel better about your body or going to the gym because everyone in your life is pressuring you to lose weight. The reason behind your resolution this year should be to better yourself and give your life a meaning and to put undue pressure on you.