Every time the clock strikes midnight on January 1, we all make silent promises that this year will be our year. We force ourselves to make big plans to dramatically change our lives in the next 365 days, only to be disappointed in the end. New Year’s resolutions have never satisfied anybody, but maybe that’s just because we’re making the wrong kinds of resolutions. Instead of promising yourself to lose weight or get straight A’s this semester, here is an alternative list of resolutions for 2017 that are simple and straightforward.
1. Stop dieting.
Seriously, just stop it. Have you ever been happy while you were depriving yourself of the foods you love the most? There’s a difference between eating healthier, and punishing yourself for having an appetite.
2. Get educated.
It might seem like a no-brainer for college students, given the fact that we are in college, but getting educated is more than just sitting in a classroom and counting down the minutes until lecture is over. Look more things up, read more articles, and make an effort to learn about our world and the events going on within it. What’s the point in trying to have a discussion about politics or environmental policies when you don’t know anything about the world in the first place?
3. Sleep more.
Do you really need to stay up until 3 a.m. every night? Getting less than 8 hours of sleep has proven to be detrimental to your mental and physical health—take care of yourself first before you deprive yourself of rest in order to cram for your next exam.
4. Learn to cook.
You might make a mean quesadilla, but that doesn’t mean you're the next Gordon Ramsay. Stop limiting your food options to instant ramen and frozen pizza. Sometimes, the most satisfying meals are the ones you create yourself—who cares if it’s a little burned?
5. Spend more time with people who matter.
We all have those social events that we feel obligated to attend, whether it’s out of politeness or FOMO. You don’t really want to be there, but you’ll go, anyway. In any case, stop spending time with people you don’t want to hang out with. It might sound harsh, but it’s true. You shouldn’t feel obligated to spend time with anyone; not only are you doing a disservice to the people around you, but you’re also doing a disservice to yourself. You know who you really want to spend time with, so why would you deprive yourself of their presence?
6. Stop procrastinating.
Trust, me I’m speaking from experience when I tell you that the immediate gratification of procrastination is not worth the large amounts of stress to come later on. I know it’s tempting when Netflix is just a click away and you have three episodes left until the season finale of your favorite show, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore that 10-page paper until the night before it’s due. Isn’t going to college stressful enough as it is?
7. Drink more water.
Why do we feel the need to down soft drinks and sugary beverages at every hour of the day when the earth itself provides us with an equally satisfying refreshment? Water is easily the most underrated beverage—drink more of it, and your life will change.
8. Stop caring about what other people think.
In every aspect of our lives, we always tend to seek validation in other people. But it doesn’t matter if you wear makeup or not, if you throw on sweats or heels to go to class. It doesn’t matter if the music you listen to isn’t being played on the radio, or if the food you eat looks weird. Stop trying to fit into the tiny box of what other people find to be acceptable—all you’re doing is limiting your potential to grow. In the wise words of Bernard M. Baruch, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
9. Enjoy the little things.
Every day is an adventure if you choose to make it one—you don’t have to travel across the country or do crazy things on the weekends to enjoy your life. Sure, staying in on a Saturday night might not seem like a very exciting thing to do, but finishing a show on Netflix is my own personal Mount Everest even if I never leave my bed in the process. It doesn’t matter how you live your life, as long as you’re happy.
