Every year, I come up with goals to take on for self-growth. And every year, I start off strong and hopeful before I lose motivation at some point in the year, leading me to have an almost identical list of goals to re-attempt the following year.
2023 is looming, and I’m gladly welcoming many of my same objectives back. But this time, I’m doing it with much more patience for myself and actually making them feasible. Here’s a list of my realistic New Year’s Resolutions:
- Pray in the morning & at night
Starting and ending my day with prayer, for at least 20-30 minutes each session, has a huge impact on my mindset. I want to make sure I make prayer more urgent in my life again instead of something I do just when I have the time.
- Drink four water bottles a day
I used to aim for a gallon of water a day, but that lasted a solid week. Instead, I’m aiming to drink half my weight in ounces, which equates to about four water bottles worth.
- Maintain a routine (or don’t)
I have a morning routine that I maintained really well at one point, but once school started, I lost it. In the morning, I would wake up, make my bed, brush my teeth, pray and head to the gym. At night, I’d wash my face and brush my teeth, pray and follow a specific routine that consisted of oiling my hair and eyelashes. There are also my many daily multivitamins. These routines are what worked best for me, and I want to be more consistent in keeping up with them. But other than that, I want to live the time in between as freely and spontaneously as possible.
- Work out intuitively
I won’t set any goals of working out four to five times a week for an hour each time like I usually do. Now, I just hope to work out intuitively and in a way that makes me happy, whether that’s going for a walk, lifting weights or doing pilates for the day.
- Eat intuitively
Right now, my relationship with food isn’t the healthiest. I can fully acknowledge I’m full, but if there’s food in front of me, I feel the need to finish it. I want to find a healthy balance of indulging but still eating healthy meals that will fuel my body, plus being mindful of when I’m satisfied.
- Volunteer at least once
I’ve been saying this since last Christmas, and 2023 will be the year I actually do it (hopefully). I want to say I’ll volunteer at a food pantry or soup kitchen or something of the sort every few months. Realistically, I’ll try to go at least once or twice.
- Prioritize my mental health
I want the end of 2022 to signify the end of my people-pleasing era too. This means doing a few things that have been difficult for me, but I know I have to push myself to do it to find peace and joy. It also means, more simply put, saying yes to positive experiences if fear is the only thing holding me back but also saying no if my mental and emotional health are being compromised.
- Read three books
My mental health also goes up when I’m reading books, which unfortunately only happens about once a year. Reading at least three good stories to take my mind off things, and take my hands off my phone, would already be a win for me.
We’re all at different stages of our lives and going through different things, so that means different resolutions. No matter how “big,” “small,” general or specific your goals might be, I invite you all to be patient with yourself, plus to remember that any progress is progress and growth isn’t linear.
Happy New Year!