I have always been one to make wishes on stars. I write down my manifestations, pray, certainly make resolutions, and do all I can to make my dreams come true—except for actually making them come true. For 2024, I decided to take some of the pressure off of making New Year resolutions by only making one: to be my own biggest cheerleader. Here’s how it’s going about one month in.
Before the new year, I knew one of my top goals was to treat my body right. In past years, I had set workout schedules, diets, and basically everything short of a military regiment to push myself to look my best. However, I never ended up feeling my best and I was frustrated that I didn’t look it either. Soon my motivation would slip and after one missed lift and one calorie too much…I would give up. Clearly, this tactic wasn’t working. This year, in terms of working out, I decided to do what feels best and set goals for what progress I actually want to see. I want to feel strong and energized, so I started prioritizing that and finding workouts that excited me to do them again! Even if I miss a day or a whole week, I have let myself understand that I am a student with jobs and commitments and it will be worth it to let myself rest when my brain is overloaded. In terms of food, I am also trying to give myself grace with a balanced diet. I want to have fun with cooking this year and fill myself with foods that maintain my energy, especially when I want to move my body more and still be active in my classes. Along with this, I am still making sure to remind myself that I can enjoy delicious foods that I love even if they aren’t the healthiest.
Next, this year I wanted to focus on leaving men out of my equation. I have always been happy being single but of course, we all have times (especially around Valentine’s Day) when being single is the last thing we want. However, going forward, I want to be appreciative of the friendships I have and focus on the things my friends give me that a romantic partner never could. This is not to say that I am anti-dating or getting to know people, but I am becoming comfortable with the fact that good relationships will come along and I just have to be patient in that sense.
“So what do you want to do with that major?” A question we have all undoubtedly heard during college and shiver to think about answering. Planning out career goals is something that is on everyone’s mind in college, and it’s a scary thought that our adult lives are so close to becoming reality. I fully believe in taking one’s time to figure out their true interests before deciding on a career path. Therefore, this year, I want to prioritize finding my interests and taking new risks and opportunities while navigating this question. There are still so many options out there and I want to be able to experience and experiment with all my skills before I make big career decisions. A good tip for fulfilling this goal is to talk to professors within your department, maybe ones that teach classes you find compelling and can see yourself pursuing. Taking the first step can surprise you. I have found that opportunities are waiting for me within my major but I just had to be the one to reach out first.
My final goal that I have been working on this year is accepting the bad with the good. My first day of the year was a mess! I knew then and there that I had to simply accept this day as it was and not take it as a sign that my year was going to be terrible. It was simply a bad day and there were still good ones that lie ahead. A missed gym day, a bad test score or even just a negative mood are not going to define my year and what I can do with it.
This year I encourage you to take off the pressure of making strict resolutions. Maybe it’s time to try setting loose goals that are realistic to our lifestyles and will end up benefiting us more in the long run.