Another January 1st has come and gone, full of celebrations welcoming the new year. The first month of the year, although icy cold, brings with it the heart-warming promise of a chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Like many others, I have composed a list of resolutions for myself for 2017. While it is quite possible that I will forget about these resolutions a month or even a week from now, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity for self-betterment, no matter how cliché.
Here are a few from my list. Feel free to borrow some of my New Year’s Resolutions and adapt them to suit your personal needs.
Be more patient. Impatience is a quality I’m not proud of, but I’d be fooling myself if I thought that it was something I couldn’t actively work on. I know I have the capacity to be more patient, and instead of viewing it as a permanent trait that I must learn to live with, I view it as something I can fix with enough determination. So this year, I will be more patient—with parents, with friends, with my boyfriend, and perhaps most importantly, with myself.
View each day as an opportunity for self-betterment. It’s really easy for me to set rules for myself—go to the gym every day, quit staying up so late, don’t drink as much coffee—and it’s also really easy for me to cheat on my own rules. The problem isn’t that I’m cheating. I’m not perfect, and never will be. The problem is that I get so frustrated with myself for not following my own rules that I often quit altogether. For example, if I sleep in instead of going to the gym one Monday, I might get so upset that I won’t go to the gym at all that week. That kind of mentality doesn’t make sense, and isn’t productive. Instead, I want to wake up every day and be the best self that I can be in that day, without worrying about the day before or the day to come. The present is the only thing that truly matters.
Be a vegetarian for a whole year! I’m not exactly new to the no-meat club, but last year I allowed myself the occasional cheat day to make the transition easier. This year I plan to be strictly vegetarian with no exceptions. This resolution is also a personal reminder to eat clean, because I’ve found that having a dietary restriction naturally helps me focus more on what I put into my body.
Be kinder. I am a self-proclaimed cynic, and don’t see anything wrong with that. I think a healthy dose of cynicism makes hard situations easier to bear. But I must acknowledge that there is a fine line between being a cynic/being sarcastic and just being mean. I want to make people feel safe and happy, because everyone deserves to be safe and happy, period. This also includes forgiving quickly and not holding grudges.
Whatever your resolutions are for the coming year, I hope you work hard at making them happen. You’ll surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish, and no matter what, it always feels good to know that you’re actively working to become the best possible version of yourself. Best of luck in all that you do, and have a wonderful New Year!
