New Year's, a time when we all decide we want to do something different and reinvent ourselves. At this time of year, all I usually see on social media are articles about weight loss. But this year, everywhere I look there are articles talking about the importance of making our New Year's resolutions "attainable". A scary and new sentiment. But what does making it attainable mean exactly?
I think it means don't make your resolution to lose twenty pounds in a week or win five thousand dollars on a scratch-off because those two things are both equally outrageous and ridiculous. There are, however, quite a few articles that list some "attainable" options, but I find them extremely unhelpful. One thing I learned from taking sports psychology in college was that you have to make your goals specific in order for them to work, and I stand by that statement to this day. While I was searching for advice for my own "attainable" resolution, one article suggested "I will try to be a little better of a person this year". At first, I thought it was brilliant. Of course I want to be a better person this year. But then I kept thinking about it and I realized how much room for error there was. What does it even mean to be a better person? Who am I going to be a better person to? To others? To myself?
I realized that these articles couldn't tell me what I needed my attainable goal to be. There is only so much help a list can give because, in the end, no one knows you better than you. Sure, these online articles can give us ideas and spark inspiration, but the success of achieving a New Year's resolution lies solely in the will of the person making the goal. It requires thought, intent, and desire to really look at yourself and clearly state what you want to do better. An article can't look me in the eye and tell me, "I need to be more accepting of myself this year" or "I need to be more patient with others this year". Anyone can decide to make their resolution be bettering themselves. But if you don't decide how you want to go about doing it, it's just going to fall through. There is no room for ambiguity when it comes to things like this. It's within the empty space of a goal that there is room for failure.
This year, I'm going to be a better person. I'm going accept myself more, and tell myself I look beautiful even if I don't feel it. I'm going to try harder to accept and learn about people who are not like me so I can broaden my horizons and understanding of the world. I'm going to try and depend on others a little more because it makes communicating easier and smoother. I'm going to try and be kind to all people because we're all humans from all different walks of life. And we all need kindness. Period.
These are just a few things I plan on doing in 2016. I really want this year to be different. I want to feel different and see the world from a different lens. I think all of my specific goals for being a better person are certainly attainable. I'm going to embrace myself this year, and hopefully, my world will end up being a much better and brighter place to be.
