Are New Year’s resolutions really good for us? Or are we setting ourselves up for failure? Resolutions can be lofty, intangible things. Goals, on the other hand, are more specific. Here I’ve put together a few new goals of how not to set yourself up to fail in 2015.
1. Love your bodyIn 2015, instead of “lose weight,” let’s say “love your body.” People might argue this is not as specific or measurable as a normal goal, but they can chill. By “love,” I mean when you look in the mirror and don’t see the muscle definition you want, brush it off! Tell yourself, “I’m headed in the right direction; I can do this.” Accept your figure as it is now, while believing that in time, you can change it!
2. Be less sarcasticInstead of “forge new relationships” how about “be less sarcastic.” This one definitely hits home for me. I once gave up sarcasm for Lent, and wow did I make friends! Someone once said, “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” and I agree! While I enjoy the occasional sarcastic remark, I believe it’s easy for us to lose sight of how sensitive people can be. This year, with less sarcasm, you may just be able to create deeper friendships out of the ones you already have and make yourself more open for other people to befriend you!
3. Write moreIn the place of “write a novel,” I believe “write” will suffice. For the love of literature, just start! All of us overachievers always want to hit home runs, but hey, if the game is close, sometimes all you need to do is bunt to get on base. If that was some sports-related gobbledygook to you, in other words, you’ve got to start somewhere! Silence that inner critic and just create something. You don’t even have to be proud of it. Create. Write. Do!
4. Chill more“Stress less” they say. Although this is a formidable goal, let’s make it “chill more.” Instead of trying to reduce the inevitable, how about trying to increase the behavior you need more of. Increasing relaxation will naturally decrease the negativity in your daily life . Meditate, pray, hum to yourself on the bus; just take a few moments every day or every time you feel overwhelmed to remind yourself of the intelligent, capable woman you are.
5. Make international friendsThe difficult part of making a resolution to travel more as a college student is finding the money to do so. Instead, let’s economize this resolution into a more attainable goal: “Make international friends.” We all want to travel, but we don’t realize one of the coolest things about UF is that we have students from all over the world here! What better way to learn about a place than to learn about it firsthand from someone who lived there? Maybe after talking to them you won’t even want to visit that place anymore.
Whether you’re feeling goal oriented or not this year, half the battle is merely finding goals that are realistic and that pertain to you as an individual. Resolutions or goals–call them what you will; either way, you could surprise yourself in 2015 with what you can accomplish.
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