As we approach the end of February, I think it’s important to ask ourselves the vital question. How are our New Year’s resolutions going? From weight loss to exercise, gaining confidence and taking risks, or even making more friends, we hopefully have all set a positive goal for this new year, especially after the travesty that was 2020. However, we are, all of a sudden, now one month into 2021, which has already proven to be the same as, if not crazier than, 2020. So with context in mind, this article is in no way going to shame you for abandoning your goals, because honestly, I’m just proud you are alive right now reading this. 

Whether you made one or not, I think that it is still important to be reflective. How have you changed since 2020? How have you not? It is a great exercise in looking into yourself and an opportunity for personal growth. The entire point of making a New Year’s resolution is to take a habit, or lack thereof, and change it for the better. So, what habit have you attempted to create or break? Again, there is no shame if you haven’t achieved your wildest dreams and aren’t currently living the perfect lifestyle. It takes time and effort, which we don’t always have enough of. Regardless, identifying these less than ideal habits or wanting to start up a new one is the first step in achieving these ideals you have for yourself. Simply recognizing areas in your life that you want to improve upon is a testament enough to a healthy mindset.

After all, it is also important to continue to set these kinds of goals for yourself. You should constantly try to raise the bar for yourself. Don’t just make goals and resolutions one time a year, but constantly throughout your entire life as you learn new things and your ambitions change. Finished one resolution? Move onto the next! Don’t wait for an entire year to pass by to change something in your life for the better. Resolution isn’t working out? Don’t worry, just tweak it, push it, or drop it altogether. Sometimes, we realize that our habits and lives are not in need of drastic change, but rather in need of a new perspective or a little bit of modification. 

And while I am in no way encouraging you to drop every single goal of yours to become a full-time couch potato, don’t despair if you simply just need to quit. Maybe it’s not the right time to change some of your habits. Or, maybe you need to direct your habit-changing energy to another aspect in your life. Whatever the case may be, no one is going to criticize you for prioritizing other needs in your life. In fact, our biggest critics are often ourselves. And while keeping ourselves accountable is important, sometimes we need to tell ourselves to shut up!

In essence, New Year’s resolutions are simply an opportunity to look at your life and all its many facets as a big ball drops a couple of feet at Times Square. You may ask yourself how you could better your life or what you have learned over the past year that you want to start applying. You may have even picked up a healthy habit or two and simply want to maintain the lifestyle you already have. Regardless of whatever you have or have not envisioned for your life in the new year, I think that we can all agree that the freshness of a new year provides us with the idea of opportunity. Opportunity that we can utilize in any way we want.

I asked, “how are your New Year’s resolutions going?” But, I should have simply asked, “how is your new year going?” because whether you made a resolution or not, I think we can all be proud that we have made it another month in the crazy experience we call life.

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash