It is officially the season of resolutions and new beginnings. Everybody is setting goals they hope to live out in the new year ahead of us. I am certainly guilty of setting way too many goals each year and never getting around to completing most of them. So for 2020, I have decided to follow three simple principles that I know will lead me in the right direction of living my best life not only this semester but all throughout 2020.
- Living a Healthy Lifestyle
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Keyword: lifestyle. For this, I am not just referring to physical health, although it is very important to me. I realize that mental health is key. If you are not checking in with yourself every so often and recognizing how you are feeling, you can’t possibly be living your best life. This year I want to work hard but also give myself room to breathe and take a step back. While balancing academics, a social life, and extracurriculars, you may find yourself neglecting your own headspace. Realizing that my mental health matters and is important should always be a priority, and is essential to living my best year yet.
- Ditching Excuses
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It is so easy to come up with excuses for goals we set for ourselves or things we want to do but are afraid of. As mentioned before, I always made two big mistakes when creating my past New Year’s resolutions. My number one mistake was making excuses for why I couldn’t complete one or the other. Once I came up with a “valid” reason why I couldn’t reach one goal, I pushed that down to every other one on the list, and because my second mistake was creating way too many goals in the first place, this led to an overwhelmed mindset which caused me to throw all of it out the window. That being said, this year I refuse to let excuses hold me back. There will always be a reason why you can’t or shouldn’t or don’t want to do something. But right above that, there are a thousand reasons why you absolutely can.
- Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
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Along with new beginnings comes new opportunities, and although those experiences are most definitely exciting they can also be a bit daunting. It’s very easy to get stuck in the same routine of things around the same people and places. However, one big lesson I have learned is that where there is discomfort, there is growth. This doesn’t always have to be something big either. It can be as simple as changing up the location of where you study or trying out that new coffee shop that’s a little farther down King Street. It could also mean applying for that internship you know would be great for you or applying for that new job that you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t gotten around to yet. For me personally, traveling abroad is on my list. Seeing new places and meeting new people can teach you so much, not just about that place, but about yourself. Exploring outside of my usual is a big goal for me in 2020. This year I want to grow and expand my horizons more than I ever have before. Will it always be easy? Absolutely not. Will it be worth it in the end? Most definitely.
Instead of writing down 15 or 20 things I want to complete this year, I decided to stick to those three main points. I believe if we can all have awareness of our mental health, recognize when and why we’re making excuses, and try new things, we can all have an incredible year. Giving yourself credit when it’s deserved is important as well. This year, take a minute every day to recognize how hard you’re trying, how great you’re doing, and how capable you are of completing any goal you set your mind to.