MANSFIELD – With the new year (and decade) setting in, people around the world begin with the age-old concept of New Year’s resolutions.

According to a study done by Proactive Mindfulness, 40 to 45 percent of American adults make one or more resolutions each year. The top three resolutions are weight loss, joining an exercise program or stopping smoking. 

  • Blake Thomas hopes to start a post-punk band with his friend this year after toying with the idea for a year.

  • After living a sheltered life for 20 years, Branch wants to be more adventurous.

  • Summer Burrer hopes to discover more about herself and figure out what she wants to do with her life as she enters the adult workforce.

  • Rebecca Yoder, 23, said she wants to “be intentional” in all of her actions this year. 

Even with similar or larger goals, only half of the people who make these resolutions give up by June. 

OSU Mansfield students Lauren Branch, Kate McDonald and Summer Burrer sat together in Relax! It’s Just Coffee, taking a moment to contemplate what they wanted their 2020 to look like. 

After living a sheltered life for 20 years, Branch wants to be more adventurous. She’ll be traveling to Costa Rica to study abroad with McDonald and Branch at the Sea Turtle Conservation. 

“That’s probably going to be my biggest adventure that I’m going to have,” Branch said.  

McDonald, 19, would like to step outside her comfort zone and stand out with her bold fashion choices — being the major fashion enthusiast she is. 

Though she originally wanted to major in fashion marketing, she went with environmental science instead. 

“I just realized it (fashion) was more of an interest and not really something that I want to dedicate my life to,” she said. 

Burrer, 20, hopes to discover more about herself and figure out what she wants to do with her life as she enters the adult workforce.  

“I like a lot of things, but I want to know what I’m passionate about,” Burrer said. 

Colby Kushing, 37, was the only one in his group of friends with a resolution. He hopes to discover the world more by traveling outside of the U.S. One destination he already has in mind is Guam. 

“People think I sound crazy when I say that, but it is American territory,” he said.

Rebecca Yoder, 23, said she wants to “be intentional” in all of her actions. 

“It’s kind of easy for me to just get sucked into doing things for the sake of having something to do but not really caring about what I’m doing, so I’m really trying to work on being intentional and really having a purpose behind everything I do,” she said. 

Blake Thomas, 22, hopes to get a post-punk band started with his friend after telling themselves they would for a year. 

“He’s one of my best friends, and he’s got a really good singing voice. I think it would be fun,” he said. 

Although New Year’s resolutions are often broken, the hope for positive change will continue to be a common thread. 

“I hope everyone’s New Year’s resolutions come true,” Thomas said.