Happy New Year!

I was reviewing Wikipedia’s New Year’s resolution overview which includes the history of this tradition dating back to the ancient Babylonians. If you have time to scan it, you will learn that men and women tend to differ a bit in the way they make their New Year’s resolutions, and there are ways everyone can more successfully sustain their resolve. But you will also see that educational resolutions are 4th in a list of most popular resolutions at this time of year.

Apparently the experts on such matters as this suggest that specific and goal-oriented resolutions work best. One example they give is that rather than making a vague pledge to lose weight, a more specific weekly weight-loss goal improves resolution sustainability. Higher education goals would seem to fit this model quite well: getting those remaining needed credits, completing those courses toward a degree, gaining a certificate to advance a career…

What will you resolve to do for yourself in 2013? As you contemplate that, consider browsing the UMassOnline website to see the broad number of great goal-oriented possibilities for exceptional new beginnings in 2013.

Happy New Year!