It's that time of year again. "New Year, New Me," posts everywhere, and lists of resolutions that will be forgotten by February. I have never been big on creating New Year's resolutions, especially in the past few years. However, this year, I've had a change of heart. I still don't want to create resolutions, rather I want to use the motivation that comes with a new year to create new routines, and establish some much-needed long-term and short-term goals. I want to rethink resolutions.

In the past, I have always wondered why people made resolutions when many don't commit to them, myself included. Every January was a huge motivation to go to the gym more, to study harder, but as the year went on I found that I began to slack a little. Even though I wasn't doing bad in school, or in bad shape, I still felt like a bit of a failure because I hadn't stuck to my resolutions.

When I was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish this year, I knew I had to create a plan of how to get it done. And I knew I wanted to start working towards my goals as soon as possible. Instead of only making a list of goals for the year, I wrote down habits I wanted to form, (good ones, like drinking 60oz of water everyday!) and goals specific to certain months.

While creating this to-do list of sorts, I had the idea to do a check in at the beginning of each month. If the reason we create new goals every January is because of the newness of the year, why couldn't each month be used to check in on those goals, and to re-evaluate? So, at the beginning of each month this year, I want to take some time to reflect on where I am personally, how I am progressing toward my goals, and what needs to change so I can accomplish them. I think this will help me not only stay on track, but to really understand where I am at mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Another way I am rethinking resolutions is by creating specific, measurable, and achievable ones, that are all, more or less, to be done at a certain time. Being specific with a goal, resolution, or plan means that you are more likely to achieve it. Creating measurable goals means tracking your progress towards reaching that goal, through a journal or photos, or even with an accountability partner. Saying that you want to sleep 7-8 hours every night is a great example of a goal that is specific, measurable, and achievable.

So, this year here are a few of my rethought resolutions:

1. Maintain a 4.0 GPA until graduation.

2. Workout 3 times weekly, and do yoga at least once weekly.

3. Read (at least!) one book a month.

4. No phone 30 minutes before bed, or 30 minutes after waking up.

I put this out to the internet to keep myself accountable, and in hopes that this inspires you to create a goal, and to stick with it. It is never too early, or too late, to work towards achieving something you desire!