Every December, people spend a countless amount of time coming up with New Year’s Resolutions. Personally, I believe any day of the year is a good day to make a positive change in your life, but the organization freak in me can’t resist the idea of starting fresh from the very beginning. Although I know NYR have a lifespan of about a week, I couldn’t help but think of a few of my own. But I didn’t want them to be the usual empty promises, I wanted them to actually mean something to me, something I would actually WANT to stick with, and not feel forced to do. So January 1st, 2011 (wow, that’s my first time dating anything this year) I sat down and made a list of things I really wanted for myself. And here they are.
5. Take better care of myself
I will be the first to admit, that as a full time college student I can get pretty lazy when it comes to taking care of myself. I often find myself too tired and unmotivated to wash my makeup off at night, I’m constantly sipping on a Sprite or some type of sugary juice offered in the caf, and don’t even get me started on my eating habits, especially on Mexican Food Fridays. And as I’ve learned, little things add up. So this year instead of the all too common “I want to lose X number of pounds”, I’ve decided to opt for the more practical “I want to feel good about the way I look.”
4. Be more positive
Every semester, I start off with a good attitude, convinced I’m going to 4.0 every class. Fast forward about a month and a half and I’m convinced I’m destined for academic probation (which has never happened in all of my time in college, thank goodness). When things get hard I tend to think the worst, which just stress me out more than I was to begin with. Staying positive will not only be better for my sanity, but for my GPA as well.
3. Look out for myself
I tend to be a people pleaser. Anytime someone needs homework help? I’m there (despite the piles of homework on my desk that I should be working on). Need someone to go eat with? I’m down (even though I just got back from the caf, and had just settled down for some study time). Want to hang out? I didn’t need those extra couple of hours of sleep for my major exam tomorrow anyway… you get my point. I have a hard time telling people “no”, even when I know for a fact that when I need them, even if they aren’t super busy they usually don’t come through. This year I would like to stand up for myself, and focus more on what is best for ME.
2. Write more
Growing up, I always wanted to be some type of writer. My dream job would have been writing teen novels or becoming a movie writer. Through my rough adolescent years, my journal was my best friend. But after hitting some rough patches (such as my sister stealing my journal, my older cousin’s gift of being amazingly ahead of me in her writing, and other life issues that took up most of my energy) I no longer felt comfortable or had enough energy or motivation to write. So I stopped. Whereas I had been a really good writer for my age back then, I find myself to be mediocre now, because I avoided it as much as possible so never had the chance to grow. It wasn’t until a TA in one of my classes this semester pulled me aside after class to discuss my writing did I realize how much I missed it. It had been so long since I had had any praise, she really did spark my motivation again. Not only will writing more help me academically, but sometimes its just good for the soul.
1. Enjoy life
As you have seen through my other resolutions, I am a compulsive worrier, struggle with my confidence, never stand up for myself, and have little passion for something that once meant the world to me. Although I like to think of myself as generally a happy person, everyone has things they dislike about themselves. My problem is I let the little things add up, until they consume a larger portion of my life than planned. The most important thing I would like to focus on this year is to simply let loose a bit, go out and have fun, do some stupid stuff, maybe even get in a little bit of trouble. This is college, and you only get to do it once. I don’t want to look back years from now and have any regrets. Like they say, college is the best years of your life, and I want mine to be just that
Love to all,
demariee
♥
