Senior Lizzie Schack said that when she would come home from work over the summer, the last thing she wanted to do was play soccer. She said she was extremely tired after being a camp counselor at the YMCA, but she still went to Techny Fields to practice.

Schack said her New Year’s resolution for 2014 was to get better at soccer. She did this by practicing drills from the school and club seasons.

“During the summer I tried to go to [the soccer fields at Techny Prairie] once a week, and I did running and conditioning on my own,” Schack said.

The most challenging part of the process for Schack was finding the time to practice.

According to clinical psychologist Bill Dyment, setting aside 15 minutes toward a goal multiple times a week can progress into longer increments of time.

Schack said after spending half an hour to an hour practicing each day, she achieved her resolution. In retrospect, she would have made one change to her method.

“I would try and [practice] with someone else because that would give me more motivation,” Schack said.

In order to be most successful at keeping a resolution, Dyment said to get a group of people together who can share their best techniques, set goals and hold each other accountable.

Like Schack, freshman Kate Larsen achieved her resolution last year, which was to be more involved in extracurricular activities at school. She accomplished this by making the dance group, Orchesis.

Junior Ramsha Waseem’s resolution was to come to America. She previously lived in Pakistan and applied as an exchange student through the AFS Intercultural Program.

“The most challenging part was convincing my parents to let me stay away from home for a year while balancing school work and filling out applications,” Waseem said.

Schack, Larsen and Waseem said they have learned that persistence is key in achieving their resolutions.

Schack said her resolution for this year is to meet new people prior to college. Schack plans to get to know people through mutual friends in college Facebook groups. She said she learned from last year’s resolution that if you stop your resolution during the year, it makes it harder to continue and achieve it.

Larsen said her resolution this year is to maintain good grades.

“I’m going to try to get my homework done immediately after I get home from school,” Larsen said.

Waseem said her resolution this year is to do 200 hours of community service. She said she plans to achieve this by volunteering at the Northbrook Public Library and Feed My Starving Children.

Dyment said planning a routine is the first step to a successful resolution. After that he said it is just about eliminating excuses.

“I love the quote, ‘Don’t let what you can’t do keep you from doing what you can,’” said Dyment. “[The quote is] important to keep in mind [when making New Year’s resolutions].”