With each New Year celebration comes New Year’s resolutions for many. However, the trick to declaring a resolution is being one who follows through with that resolution, which, for many, is not an easy task.

In general, there are many traditions and activities associated with ringing in the New Year, but the aspiration to set a goal to be “good” or “better” than last year is, more or less, an American tradition.

In 2014, about 47 percent of resolutions were related to self-improvement or education, according to research conducted by the University of Scranton and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Around 38 percent of resolutions were weight-related; 34 percent, money-related; and 31 percent, relationship-related in 2014. The total is above 100 percent since many people make multiple resolutions.

For as long as anyone can remember, Americans’ top resolutions have included weight loss, being more organized, spending less money or saving more money, living life to the fullest, staying fit and healthy, learning something new and exciting, smoking cessation, falling in love and/or spending more time with family, to name a few.

However, though 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, the University of Scranton’s research illustrates a small fraction — eight percent — are successful in achieving their resolutions. More interesting than that is 39 percent of people in their twenties achieve their resolution and only 14 percent of people over 50 achieve their resolution. That same research reflects 75 percent of those that make resolutions maintain them through the first week of the New Year and 46 percent keep them past six months.

Perhaps the reason behind the lack of success for those who make New Year’s resolutions is people do not take their resolution seriously or make a resolution just for the sake of having one. An effective way to refrain from being a statistic is to maybe just pick one serious resolution that is viable in one’s life — one that can be achieved through discipline and hard work. Otherwise, the resolution becomes discredited.

With each New Year, the opportunity arises for New Year’s resolutions to be made. With that said, one should prioritize that which they wish to change in their lives, set one goal each year that is attainable or at least worthy of sticking with and execute. No one ever said resolutions are easy, but with the right mindset, they can be attained and make life better.