I know what you’re thinking: Chloe, you’re too late, New Year’s has passed. Yes, yes it has, concerned citizen. I am well aware. In fact, I purposely waited until the week after New Year’s to write this article because if you are like the majority of the population, you’ve probably already broken your resolution. According to www.statisticbrain.com, only 8 percent of resolution setters actually achieve their goal. I don’t say that to discourage you, but rather to encourage you. I need you to listen carefully:
It is ok if you break your New Year’s Resolution.
Now, let me explain myself. I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because, personally, I think it’s unrealistic. Last year was a very hard year for me; there were more downs than there were ups. I went into the year with a lot of good intentions, I even planned to give up meat and eat healthier and all these great things, but by August, I was just trying to survive. I desperately hope this year is going to be much better, but I can’t guarantee that and neither can you. I encourage you to just be aware that things may not go as you planned this year. It might be a good idea to evaluate your resolution and yourself and to understand that you will not be perfect in 2016.
I’m not going to resolve to lose weight this year because based on past experiences that is not healthy for me. Instead, this year I’m just going to do the best I can.
I am not going to resolve to make all A’s this year because I don’t know what my classes will be like. I don’t know what is going to be going on in my life during finals. I am just going to do the best I can, and if that’s an A, great. If it’s a B, fantastic. If it’s a C, there might be tears, but it will be ok.
I am not going to resolve to give up caffeine because I do not want this to be the year I go to prison. For the safety of everyone around me, I will continue to drink coffee and do the best I can.
I suppose you could call this attitude a New Year’s Resolution; I choose not to. I am a perfectionist as it is, the last thing I need is some huge goal that I have to constantly hit for 365 days straight. I think it’s great to set goals, but don’t beat yourself up if you’re one of the 92 percent of people who don’t keep their resolution. Just try to do the best you can with whatever this year brings you, and I promise you will be ok.
If you want to set a New Year’s Resolution, great. I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you’ll even be one of the 8% who achieves at it. I, on the other hand, am just going to do the best I can and accept myself, whatever that may look like.
