It’s a brand new year and for some people it’s a chance to pursue a better life. But not everyone participates in the sometimes venerable and sometimes silly tradition of seeking self-improvement come January.

Bobby Mosley and J.C. Mosley, owners of Melodies and Memories in Bowling Green, don’t typically set New Year’s resolutions.

“I guess they’re helpful, if you set your goal to do something a little different,” Bobby Mosley said. “I just take it day by day.”

J.C. Mosley doesn’t think people tend to keep their resolutions, but she hopes “just to be better than I was the year before,” she said.

Emma Wells, an associate at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Bowling Green and Western Kentucky University sophomore, is still considering her own resolution. But she has encountered other people interested in getting a head start on fitness-related resolutions.

“I’ve had people come in (Dick’s) saying, ‘Oh yeah we’re looking for new shoes to work out, we’re going to lose 10 pounds this year,’ ” Wells said. “I’ve definitely had a lot of those.”

Andrew Hubbard, another associate at Dick’s, isn’t concerned with exercising more, as he is busy working two jobs and managing two young children.

“I want to be very intentional on how I spend my time with my children,” Hubbard said.

Austin Reiser, a Western Kentucky University junior and associate at Bowling Green Athletic Club, believes people should set goals, not resolutions – an idea encouraged at the gym.

“I think a goal is something you want to achieve within the year whereas a resolution is (the desire) to change something about yourself,” said Reiser, who himself wants to obtain an insurance license for consulting this year. “Making a resolution is like mental accounting, it doesn’t really work.”

Mikayla Kelley and Cory Ford just bought a house in Bowling Green and are getting married in May. So to start off the New Year, Kelley wants to “be happier” and Ford wants to “spend less money.”

Lindsey Jones, a photographer in Bowling Green, shot 24 weddings in 2018. This year, she wants to spend more time with her own family.

“I’m not very good at keeping resolutions,” Jones said, but thinks that “small goals” are the way to do them.

Lisa Parson of Bowling Green doesn’t wait until January to consider self-improvement goals.

“I try to make myself better every day,” Parson said.