By Quintez Brown —

Happy New Year! A new year can mean a new beginning for many people, but don’t expect any change in 2019 unless you really plan on changing yourself.

As we celebrate another revolution around the sun, the tradition is to walk into the new year with some planned out resolutions. The objective is to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or to improve their life in some area. Resolutions can be personal, academic, fitness-related, etc.

Forty-four percent of American adults intend to make resolutions for 2019, according to a poll conducted in December by NPR, PBS Newshour and Marist. Sadly, only as few as eight percent of people will actually accomplish their New Year’s resolutions.

There are many explanations for this low rate of success: poor goal setting, unrealistic goals and most importantly, people just don’t want to change. Changing your calendar from 2018 to 2019 is not going to magically motivate you to change your life. Writing down a pretty list with appealing goals does not mean that they will get completed. Jan. 1 is just another day of the year and your goals are merely ink on paper.

The real change, the real revolution, begins with you. The main reason people don’t accomplish their goals is that they don’t believe in themselves and they’re afraid of change.

Are you really willing to make personal sacrifices, or does it just sound good in your head?

For example, you said you will get better grades the last couple of years. That’s your goal. But what is your “how” and what is your “why?” Goal setting and your “how” is important, but I’m more focused on your “why.”

Why is your resolution important to you? Do you want better grades so you can have a better GPA? Do you want a better GPA so you’ll have less stress before you graduate? Why do you want to spend less time on social media? Do you want to have more time to spend on studying, so you can have better grades?

You must have a firm grip on your desire to better yourself.

Are you afraid of sacrificing for your better good? Another reason people fail to accomplish their goals is that they are afraid of falling short, or they are afraid of sacrifice. Losing weight means less fast food and maybe more money spent. Better grades may mean less social life. Creating new habits requires breaking old ones, and stepping outside of our comfort zone.

Fear holds us captive. Fear keeps us in our comfort zone.

The opposite of fear is freedom. Freedom to grow. Freedom to really live. Don’t be afraid to live and don’t be afraid to change. Trust in yourself and your potential.

Know your why. Find your personal desire. There is nothing stopping you from improving your life.

Stop competing and comparing yourself with others, and focus more on being the best you that you can be. Only you know where you want to be in your life. Nobody else can dictate that for you. If you want it, go get it. 2019 is your year.