Disclaimer: I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. Every year, I set the craziest goals for myself all in the name of living up to the “New Year, New Me” mantra yet barely a week in, I’ve already begun slacking and within a couple of weeks, I can’t even remember what my resolutions were in the first place. Sound familiar?
Knowing all too well that this year would likely turn out the same way, I decided to try something different. Instead of complicating things with a long and painful list, I went the short and simple route. Three words kinda short: Be More Kind.
It’s not an out-of-this-world idea but it’s often easier said than done. And the tricky thing with a vague resolution like this one is that you can’t really quantify results like you would if you just set a weight loss goal and then became a gym rat for a couple of months to achieve it. So in a big way, the aspiration to be more kind has made me embark on this journey of self-discovery that I certainly hope will change my life for the better in the long run.
The first part of my resolution that I tackled was being kind to myself. In today’s world where a million insecurities plague our ability to love ourselves and be confident in our own skin, it’s so important to just take a step back and work towards that state of self-acceptance. It’s slowly even become a pretty mainstream idea with inspiring women like Michelle Obama, Ashley Graham and Emma Watson among so many others becoming a voice of empowerment for our generation.
If you’re anything of a perfectionist like me, you know what it’s like to constantly put way too much pressure on yourself and usually end up trapped in the “I’m not good enough” bubble. And it’s definitely been a challenge to rid myself of the need to be “perfect” 24/7 but so far, I’m doing quite a decent job at the first part. I’ve begun to spend a lot more time actually working towards becoming the best version of myself and less time obsessing over the quirks and flaws that make me the unique individual I am.
The second part to my “be more kind” resolution is obviously extended towards others. While I still consider my sarcastic sense of humor to be a God-given gift, I will admit that I do often come off as mean because of it. Being brutally honest isn’t always the way to go and I’ve realized that sometimes, saying exactly what you feel isn’t worth the hurtful and insensitive words that could negatively impact another person. My mom always says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Thanks Mom, I’m finally working on it.
New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be as daunting and pointless as we’ve grown to view them. If we instead looked at the new year as a clean slate on which we could make small changes that would improve the already incredible individuals we are, maybe, just maybe we’d be able to stick to our resolutions for the long haul.