I haven’t decided if I’m a fan of New Year’s Resolutions or not. There’s just something about them that is so hard to stick to. Maybe it’s because there’s so much room to slack off. If you have a whole year to stop smoking or lose weight, why start at the very beginning? Why not ease into it, wait until it gets warmer or until your birthday passes, or until Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day is over?
I, myself, have never been good at sticking to any resolutions whatsoever. Usually, it’s typical teenager things, like to go to the gym more, stop eating junk food, study every night for at least half an hour, or try to be a better friend.
But then as the year goes on, I find myself drifting away from my original resolution and giving the usual excuses: I should be happy with my weight. I don’t eat that much junk food anyway. I get good grades with the amount that I already study. I love my friends.
This year, I think I’ll try to start small. Instead of making one to lose weight, maybe it’ll be to keep my side of my room clean, since it gets messy pretty fast. Maybe it’ll be to become better friends with the girls in my hall that I don’t already know. Or maybe it’ll be to just try to be more outgoing and say yes to more events without overthinking them.
I think that we should try to abolish the idea that you have to have big, “life-changing” resolutions. Let’s face it: hardly any of us are ever able to stick to them, and when we don’t, we instantly get down on ourselves, thinking things like, I’ll never lose weight or I’ll never stop smoking.
Why not try some small ones? Resolve to skip dessert every other night, and then skip it altogether once you’ve built up a tolerance. Try carpooling to work if possible so there’s less gas going out into the earth. Quit procrastinating by rewarding yourself for getting things accomplished. Take up a new hobby, whether it’s yoga, painting, learning a new language, or a sport of some kind. Go old school and try to rely less on your phone for things. Read more books, go through that list of movies you made but never watched. Travel more, read to cook, make peace with people you’re angry with.
Resolutions don’t have to be crazy and big and grand. They can just be small changes to your life that will make you happier and healthier. 2016 was a less-than-ideal year, and a fresh start with fresh habits is exactly what we all need. I know that I’ll be trying some of these this new year. Happy 2017, everyone!
