The infamous New Year’s Resolution. You have to admire the human spirit. We look at the first day of a new calendar year as a fresh start. A new opportunity to leave the past behind us, drop all of our old habits overnight and step into a whole new way of being. It’s ambitious, it’s overwhelming and 9 out of 10 times it doesn’t stick. We cannot become new people overnight without putting in the work. Let me say that again, we cannot form new habits and become new people overnight without putting in the work. Creating a skincare routine will not eradicate the demons that are hiding in your soul. Showers are basic hygiene, not self-care. It’s deeper than all that. 

Humans are creatures of habit. We will choose to sit in the same seats throughout an entire semester of class. We choose the same coffee mugs in the morning. We choose the same meal when we order food. There isn’t anything wrong with this, it’s just how we are by nature. This is why our New Year’s resolutions don’t typically make it into February. Losing weight isn’t about going on a diet for two months and then falling back into unhealthy habits, it’s about completely changing your mindset and lifestyle, which is hard as hell. Especially after the year we just had. 2022 was testing enough as it is, why push yourself even further?

I decided I was going to push myself. Every year I make a New Year’s resolution and most of the time, I don’t follow through. Even last year, I pledged to read more books. And while I read significantly more throughout the Spring than I did the year before, I didn’t complete the 25 books I set my heart on. This year, I set resolutions but I chose things that I was already doing. I know, that’s not technically a resolution, but we’re allowed to do whatever we want. 

1. Make time for books, whether it be reading them or writing them. 
2. Cut back on single-use plastics.
3. Love myself. 

That’s it, just those three things. But those are huge, lifestyle-changing commitments. Especially that last one, that’s the hardest of the bunch. Honestly, using less plastic is going to be the easiest, and I’ll go more into detail on that in a future post. 

The reality is, it’s not the date on the calendar that puts us on a better or healthier track of life, it’s us. We hold all the power. It’s looking inside yourself and deciding you want to change. You’ll never accomplish anything that you don’t truly want and wanting it is already half the battle. 

Last year was tough, but it was a big eye-opener for many of us, and I think with the arrival of this new year, it’s the perfect time to take the lessons we learned in 2020 and carry them with us. The idea is that we are all human beings who deserve love, protection, and justice. The idea that we can slow down and cut back, and take time to analyze how we are treating our planet. If the 2020s haven’t completely changed you, I can’t explain it. I am definitely taking 2022 with me as I go forward. If we leave it in the past, we can’t take what we learned with us. We need to learn from our hard times. We need to keep saying Breonna Taylor and Vanessa Guillen’s names. We need to keep considering the health and existence of other human beings. Compassion is never a bad trait. Educating and bettering yourself is never a waste of time. As Oscar Wilde said, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” 

To come full circle, the idea of a resolution is great, but it needs to be something obtainable. Something that will improve your life and most importantly, something you’re ready for. Brew yourself a pot of coffee, take your time, and step into this year with the lessons of your past and kick some ass. You create your own destiny, you decide who you are and what kind of person you’re going to be. We’re all on this journey of life, some of us are just getting started and some have been on this path for years, so be kind to your neighbor because you never know which part of the voyage they’re on.