We say it every year. "This is finally gonna be my year!" But is it really ever your year? It seems like there has been a long string of years that add disappointments to the weight of letdowns from the years before. The problem may be that you aren't making each year "your year." Nothing will get better without effort. A lot of things in our lives are up to us and depend fully on the decisions we make.
A trend that has been here since the beginning of time, practically, is having New Year resolutions. Or, goals one has set aside to tremendously work toward or accomplish within the upcoming year. These resolutions can be such great motivators, but why is it that they become so hard to accomplish and maintain?
My theory is that we often try to jump from 0 to 100 way too fast. We push ourselves to hop into the gym every day, every week when we haven't been in months. We get disappointed when we don't read five books in the first half of the year, so we stop reading. Those are just vague examples, but they hold true. This is why I am going to push myself to accomplish smaller, but not less important goals this year. Here are New Year's resolutions I am confident I can succeed in or at least work very continuously hard toward in 2020.
I will tell my family I love them every day
If 2019 has taught me anything, it's that life will throw you curveballs every chance it gets. You never know when your family will need you the most. You never know when you'll lose someone. You never know when someone will be in need of someone to just be their cheerleader or share a couple laughs. I always know my family loves me. I can feel it in the way my sister hugs me every time she sees me, my other sister lights up when we talk about Harry Potter. I feel it when my mom texts me just to wish me a good day and I feel it when my dad asks a million questions about my plans in the future. I even feel it when my cat rubs against my leg and purrs and when my dog jumps in my lap to lick my face. But I sometimes wonder how they know I love them back. In 2020, I am going to guarantee they will know how I would move the planets and catch all the stars for them.
I will grow my faith until it is big as a Coast Redwood
It's hard to put my pride to the side and say I slipped a little in 2019 and didn't keep up with my faith as well as I have before. It was a big year for me and I encountered a lot of change. Something that should have stayed the same but did not, though, was my relationship with God. I was lazy and I didn't maintain close contact like I knew I should have. So, with a start to the new year (although this is one I've already been working on), I am going to dedicate more time to church, to learning, to taking time out of my day to be with God.
I will start being more positive
GiphyI wouldn't say this is an entirely uncommon New Years' resolution, however, it is one that is very imperative to my future. My life seemingly has been a continuous struggle for around 20 years (note: I am 20 years old). I've struggled with being suicidal, hating my appearance, constantly not feeling good enough for the world, anxiety, and just downright upset for what feels like an eternity. I haven't caught a break in years. While a lot of these problems are much more deep-rooted and can't be cured with "be positive" there are small moments throughout my days where I could most definitely feel relief if I did not constantly beat myself up over every breath I take and every inch I move. Instead of mulling over the mistakes I see, I want to focus on the moments where things don't go wrong. I want to start celebrating the little victories and cherishing the times the world doesn't feel like it is crumbling around me.