The problem with starting every new year is that we impose great expectations on ourselves, and all at once. Count the number of people you know who have tried to drastically change their lifestyles by eating less junk, going to the gym, studying to raise their GPAs, making time for family, picking up a new instrument, or traveling to a new place. Now name the people who have actually succeeded. That's right.
The secret to true success in our New Year's resolutions is to keep our expectations low, that way, we're never disappointed, right? At least that's the key to my successes.
Let's begin 2016 with low hopes so that we can surprise ourselves throughout the year!
Instead of cutting out junk, simply eat one less Oreo per week. So rather than finishing that package by Sunday, you can leave one un-devoured Oreo in there as tangible proof that your New Year's resolutions are still on. Bask in your triumph in being one less Oreo away from disappointment, then enjoy it once the new week starts.
Rather than telling yourself you'll stop procrastinating (which we all know will never ever happen), pick one paper this semester that you'll start writing a week before the due date. And when I say "start writing," I mean do the cover page and heading and title your bibliography.
You can at least tell your professor you started it without feeling guilty that that's a big fat lie.
Don't just sign up for a gym membership telling yourself you're going to go every day when you haven't done shit all semester. Sorry, but people don't flip 180 degrees without some coercive incentive. Most of us only end up wasting $40 a month and then spend more on snacks because we get angry at ourselves for not exercising like we said we would.
Make it your goal to use a friend's guest pass at least once a month. It's more likely that you'll actually do that and enjoy your workout in the process. Other than that, walk up the escalator instead of letting the machine take you, or walk to at least one class a day instead of taking the bus or train. Every day can be your leg day. Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel already? It's success! Or maybe just lightheadedness.
Getting to know and understand an entire instrument is a heavy task, one which takes more than just buying it and looking up a few YouTube beginner tutorials in order to say you play it. That's why this year you can just start small -- not like a ukulele instead of a guitar, more like try a short term new thing each day or week instead of a long term mission.
Interest in musical instruments typically stem from a curiosity to dabble in something new, but it requires much more commitment than most of us are used to. So satiate that curiosity by listening to a new song each day, which only requires around four minutes of focus, or trying a new dish at your favorite restaurant, which would only use a couple of bucks, or seeing a movie whose genre you've avoided for years, which you can walk out of at any time.
We all say we'll spend more time with loved ones, but we can't escape the fact that they can be overwhelmingly... well, annoying after a while. This resolution doesn't restrict you to spending hours at a time just chatting with family about the stories you've heard over and over again already -- because face it, that's a resolution that's bound to fail the day you make it.
Spending more time with loved ones can just mean an additional phone call per week throughout the year, or an extra meal together when you're home. Everything in moderation, but consistence is key.
..like we have enough time and money just to travel somewhere new. As much as we all would love to spend time on vacation in new places, life just doesn't allow that luxury all the time. But we can apply this idea to parts of our lives that will always be there, guaranteed.
Take, for example, the local grocery store. Usually you're there to get what you need and get out. Perhaps, one day, you can manage an extra half hour or so of avoiding your responsibilities --this can be your mini vacation! Stroll down an aisle seldom graced by your presence and experience the new foods and different types of people who normally do grace that aisle. It'll be surprising the things you learn, and you can even pick up a cheap, edible souvenir if you're lucky. Walmart, the strip mall, even the library -- if you're already going there anyway, treat yourself to a new adventure! Guaranteed at least half the price of a cruise or tour of Rome. 
Oh, it's going to be a great year for all of us. Why? Because with expectations this low, there's no way we'll look back on December 31, 2016, thinking we had so much more potential than what we put out in the past 365 days. In fact, we'll have stuck to our resolutions, been thrice as productive, and accomplished so much more than we set out to. Cheers to the New Year!
