New Year's Resolutions: Does a New Year Really Mean a New Me?
By: Matt Reichenbach, Assistant Style Editor
If you’re anything like me, New Year’s resolutions are overhyped and seem to exist only so you can: A) lie to yourself for 5 minutes after you make them and B) tell people you made a few. I love the idea, but in practice, resolutions are about as useful as online dating sites: you want them to work, but in the end, all you get are disappointment and regret. This New Year, however,, I looked at resolutions differently and made a few. I genuinely feel they will have a positive, healthy, and dramatic influence on my life this year. With that, I give you tips and tricks on making your new year’s resolutions.
- Don’t BS Yourself
Be honest, are you gonna really lose 15 pounds the first three months of the new year? Maybe, but if you don't actually see the results early on, you’ll lose the motivation to continue. We are humans who want results and we hate waiting for them. Set small goals that you know you can attain.
- Learn through Experience
Most of my goals for this year stem from the choices and actions I’ve made last year—for better or for worse. In doing this, you add a personal dimension to your goals instead of following the generic, unoriginal themes like “I’ll eat this many salads and call it eating healthy.” With a deeper personal dimension in mind that adds to a previous experience, you will be more likely to stick to your goals and see a visible change in your habits and your happiness.
- Think Ahead and Imagine
I would be lying to myself if I said I wanted 2016 to happen all over again—it was a year of questionable decisions (to say the least). When setting goals, I wanted them to steer me away from my last year’s self. If I don't follow through with them, I’m gonna end up back where I started last year. Create consequences for yourself that push you to stick to your goals.
For those wondering, my goal this year is simple: find the things that I know make me happy and keep them in my life as long as possible. Last year was my year of self-discovery; I was figuring out who I was and what I like and want in life. In doing so, I made choices that I can’t take back, choices that changed my outlook on life. Knowing what I know now, I want 2017 to be different. I’m a better person coming out of 2016 and I’m determined to find that happiness that I spend so long looking for.