New Year’s resolutions: We all make them and, typically, every single one of us will fall short. Part of the reason our resolutions fail is because most of the time we feel like we must cut things out of our lives rather than add things to our lives. This gives us the feeling of punishing ourselves which has negative setbacks. The definition of resolution is “a firm decision to do or not do something.” I know for myself, it is easier for me to react to a positive statement rather than a negative one.

For example, let’s say someone wants to stop eating chocolate as much as they have in the past. Their resolution most likely will be something like don’t eat chocolate more than once a week. To turn this resolution around into a more positive one, this person might want to make a resolution to eat more fruit each week. This person would be subbing their old eating habit for their new one without feeling like a massive failure if they didn’t keep with this resolution each week because their resolution is more about eating more fruit each week rather than the focus being on cutting out chocolate.

We can still achieve the same outcome from the negatively worded resolutions, it just puts more focus on the positive part of each resolution. I have decided to include just two of my resolutions for this next year.

"I will paint my nails every week." (I will stop biting my nails.)

Every single year I put stop biting my nails on my list of resolutions. Every single year I fail. The habit is too strongly embedded into my brain. I even coated my fingers in nail polish remover every morning. This resolution will not surface again this year. Congratulations, nail biting- 1, Miranda- 0.

So, I’ve decided to paint my nails every week. I typically don’t have painted finger nails. Perhaps having painted nails will make me bite my nails less. However, the focus of this resolution will be on painting my nails every week. I will be adding to my normal routine rather than taking away from my normal routine.

"I will spend more time writing." (I will spend less time on screens.)

I genuinely like to write. I normally prefer poetry and short stories. These forms of writing have allowed me to see just how creative I can be. I’ve tested the boundaries of my writing abilities and have found that my abilities extend further than I thought possible. By writing more, I will naturally be cutting out time spent flipping through social media apps and time spent watching Netflix.

So, as you are composing your list of resolutions for this next year, try to formulate resolutions where you will be adding to your life rather than taking away from your life. You might be surprised when your resolutions actually stick longer than one month.