Why I Stopped Making New Year’s Resolutions

That time of year is approaching again, the day that provides false hope to billions around the world. Many believe this annual holiday is a solid beginning to a new way of life. I used to play into this tradition for years, but stopped the trend a few years ago, since no one should wait for a specific day to totally flip their life. If someone truly wanted to change their ways, they would have set their heart towards that path already.

So as people recycle their forced New Year’s Resolutions in a few days, I’m instead going to state what I’ve gradually achieved and learned throughout 2015. This is to give you an idea of how I’ve taken initiative to avoid setting New Year’s Resolutions.

1 Working out feels great and molds the mind. I’m proud of the fact that I’m in the best shape of my life. I didn’t wait for a new year to change my ways, I decided to change my life immediately. June 2014 is when I recognized that I needed a change, and I’m proud that I was able to keep up with the active lifestyle. My program and diet are extremely different than what is was at the beginning of the year, because I’ve been taking gradual steps to modify bits and pieces my routine.

This physical progress helps shapes you mentally to improve self confidence, motivation, and dedication towards a goal. Since beginning this wellness track, I’ve come to learn that everything in life should be approached in bite-sized pieces towards a goal. Much of our thinking is a result of today’s fast paced world and adulthood, expecting that everything should be learned and achieved within Amazon Dash record timing. Working out also primes the mind on how to recognize progress when pursuing a goal, although results may be gradual, the path is still being paved towards the ultimate target. This is the mindset that helped me achieve the other paths to positive change in 2015.

2 Trust the gut. Personally, my brain has always taken the front seat in every decision I’ve made, causing me to ignore how I felt, but rather rely on what is the logical path and solution. After everything I’ve experienced this year, I’ve begun to learn to trust my instincts. So far, it’s done me more good than harm. Instincts are used in the wild to survive, so they have some significance.

3 Travel more. I never travelled as much as I did in 2015. I visited three lands; England, Scotland, and Iceland. All of these trips were on a whim, planned within just months of even departing for the countries.

The case with Iceland, I received a somewhat unexpected text from a friend about visiting Iceland. Logic tried to take control, but this is when my gut kicked in for my ultimate decision. Planning such a large trip within months of leaving was an intimidating task for me; however, I felt that this was an experience I couldn’t miss out on. Once I said yes, we immediately committed our free time towards planning our trip all the way up to the departure date. We ultimately drove the Ring Road and the Westfjords in record timing, all while taking in breathtaking landscapes throughout the journey. I would never take that experience away.

This was just a taste of what is out there for me to explore. Just experiencing alternative landscapes and cultures were eye opening. I actually decided to start a savings account solely for travel, in the hopes to promote a more cultured view.

4 Be open to new opportunities and people. My previous job was becoming a bit stale and I felt that there was no challenge left for me to grow. Rather than sticking around and remaining comfortable, I decided to take a chance with a new job opportunity that popped up. Leaving my old job in August definitely brought a new sense of challenge and purpose into my work life. Although I do miss some aspects of my previous job, I am so glad to have moved on in order to bring me closer to my occupational goal.

In addition to a job, restricting yourself to a certain way of thinking within your friend circle is equivalent to bounding yourself to a specific news source. Your attitudes will remain within a silo. Opening up caused me to meet a multitude of new people this year, some new great friends, and a few short-term acquaintances. This has opened my mind to new ways of thinking and led to me understand new perspectives on life.

5 Friendships are a mutual effort. This applies to both new and old friendships. After many fruitless efforts reaching out to those who I thought of as friends, I’ve learned that I will not use up my time on someone who doesn’t make an effort to spend their time on me. Although I do understand that all of us are busy, I’ve taken the effort to reach out with a quick text or even a funny photo (I love my memes) to show that I’m thinking of them. A friendship is a give and take relationship, and should never be one sided.

6 Be open about your thoughts if a prospective decision may affect the direction of your life. Assumptions led me places, but not always towards the right direction. I’ve begun to speak up more than I usually have done in the past. This has helped me take the lead, rather than assumptions and others taking the front seat to my life. I’m still working on how to judge the boundary on when I may become an outspoken jerk.

7 Nurturing and raising another person (or pet) feels amazing. Taking in my cat, Cid, was the best decision I’ve made. Seeing him continuously grow and learn since his kitten days is the most joyous pleasure. Saving an animal from a shelter, bringing them into your home, and raising them with a better life is an amazing feeling.

This summer I also had the honor to mentor an intern at my job. I committed a great amount of time to direct and assist her for the 3 months. I knew the work paid off when she sat me down for a heartfelt conversation, stating how much I taught her throughout her stay. This truly made me feel so proud and thankful that I was able to make such a positive impact on someone else’s life. All the time spent was so worth the price.

8 There is no set path in life. With 30 quickly approaching for me, I’ve accepted that age is truly just a number. I know… cliché. If you asked me 5 years ago where I would be now, I would have been way off. I’m actually pretty happy that my life wasn’t that predictable. There is no equation to life; when to get married, buy a house, and have kids. I’m still working towards being the best person that I can be. If I meet someone along the way, good, else I’m driving full speed towards my personal goals.