Not Your Typical New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions.
We make them every year with good intention, but they often fall to the wayside when life gets hectic. In the past I’ve made resolutions like starting a gratitude journal or workout regularly and generally, by March they’ve slipped my mind as other things like school take over my life.
For 2021, I want to make small changes that do not focus on me, but rather center around being a better member of society. I want to be mindful of these actionable items in my day-to-day life, with the hope that when I reflect on this year, I can measure the positive changes I have made to my life. Not by looking in the mirror or updating my resume, but by observing what will be a more conscious lifestyle. On that note, here are 3 non-typical New Year’s Resolutions:
Anti-Racism Work
There is no excuse to be unaware of the systemic racism that is embedded in our society at this point. As a mixed race, white passing individual, I acknowledge that I benefit from racism, and thus am racist. This year, my goal is to continue to learn about the lived experience of BIPOC and racisms intersectionality with other communities such as LGBTQ2+ and make a daily effort to create a more equitable society. I am in no position to say what to do to end racism, but I invite you to learn more with me. Books, podcasts, and online forums have been informative and accessible resources for me personally. If available to you, protests, referendums, or petitions in your area, are great ways to partake politically. My hope is by making this a resolution, this work and learning will continue for the rest of my life!
Moving Towards a Zero Waste Lifestyle
Living sustainably requires financial privilege that not everyone has access to as eco-friendly products tend to come at a higher price than cheaper, single use or convenient items. But something I am going to implement is simply consuming less. If I do order take out, I will ask to hold the condiments and single use cutlery. Or trying to remember to unplug all the appliances and charging cords that aren’t in use. The objective here is doing what is possible within your means! If you are able to go to a zero waste or refill stores and bring your own jars for shampoos and soaps, great! If that isn’t accessible to you, try to instead forego things that you are currently consuming that are detrimental to the environment. I truly believe that knowing it will take holding large corporations accountable to create significant change and taking individual action aren’t mutually exclusive. So, join me in doing what we can for our planet.
Volunteer
Often times happiness and gratitude come from selflessly serving others. Currently, I volunteer as a social media coordinator and after some reflection, I now realize that I took this position as it helped my resume. With my future volunteering, I would like to find a position that solely benefits my community, although Covid-19 may make this a little challenging for the next while. Personally, I found an awesome website online like ‘Do Some Good’ that list volunteer opportunities throughout British Columbia.
I hope this inspires you to think outside of the box when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions.
It’s never too late to start!