New Years’ resolutions have a bad rap. Most people point out (correctly) that nothing significant really changes on January 1, except that the earth has revolved around the sun once more than it has ever before in history. January 1, 2016 is just 24 hours after December 31, 2015.
I indulge in New Years’ resolutions. As an optimist, I believe anything that inspires people to think about long-term goals and who they want to become is a good thing. However, there are studies showing how long people stick with their resolutions and they are highly discouraging. It’s very hard to stick to any vision without goals, and it’s very hard to achieve any goals without a specific plan with reachable milestones.
2016 is going to be a big year for me. I already have a lot planned out, including attending my first wedding, switching jobs for the first time, buying my first car, traveling solo for months and much more. In all the chaos, I don’t want to lose the vision I have for myself in 2016, so I’m making a game plan for once in my life with real, tangible actions.
A couple of somewhat vague objectives I’d like to work towards (in no order of significance):
- Read more
- Learn how to cook
- Waste less money (note: not spend less, waste less)
- Build new skills (photography, hip hop, writing, art, playing the ukulele that’s collecting dust in my closet)
- Try new activities (bouldering, boxing, archery, snowboarding, etc.)
- Travel to 3+ new countries
- Continue to work on fitness (note: not “lose weight”)
- Be a better daughter
- Spend more time with friends who challenge you and people who motivate you with their own ambition and passion
- Drink less alcohol
- Put down my cell phone
The game plan in no order of importance (if you catch me breaking these rules, you have my consent to smack me, but not in the face):
1. Drink alcohol once a week
Having one beer on Monday and then a glass of wine on Friday breaks this rule. I need to be strict with myself on this one because I have no self control in anything. With less alcohol, I can kill, like, 5 birds with 1 stone. I’ll waste less money, lose weight without trying and, most importantly, spend more time doing things that better me. Also, I think my nights out are going to be much more comical as the sober one in a group of shitfaced friends. Also on that note…
2. Don’t bring your credit card when you go out
… Again, zero self control. A few weeks ago, I opened my credit card statement to find that I am an extremely generous drunk. There are lots of large charges, and I know it’s not physically possible I drank it all myself. I’m looking at you. Lucky for you, I can’t remember who you are so I can’t Venmo charge you, but I know I bought you alcohol.
3. No sweets (except Sundays)
And that includes all non-alcoholic drinks except black coffee, tea and water. My latte budget probably exceeds $100+ per month, which is absolutely horrifying. I can’t bring myself to calculate exactly how much I spend on coffee and bubble tea, but it’s probably absurd. It could probably pay a month’s rent in a Houston apartment. Also, the scientific community resoundingly agrees that refined sugar is just awful for the human body.
Sundays are rest day. It’s all about moderation. If I couldn’t eat/drink what I wanted ever, I’d probably eat two boxes of those Little Debbie donuts in one moment of weakness and undo all my hard work.
4. Read one book a month and write a review
I love books and I love reading, but it’s really hard with my job (and Netflix). I’m setting myself a realistic goal of one per month and forcing myself to write about it also.
5. Write once a week
When I was a kid, I used to write all the time, obsessively. I wrote short stories and even novels (I think I hit 70 pages once). Mostly weird, embarrassing science fiction/mystery that would make current me cringe. I don’t know what happened but slowly I lost the willpower and motivation to write. But I haven’t lost the passion. Someday I want to write a book.
Some people recommend writing every day. I tried that once, but some days I just can’t squeeze out an intelligent thought if my life depended on it. I want to take the time to write something I’m interested in, not just keep a daily diary of ramblings.
6. Call my mom every weekend
I’m a horrible daughter. Most of the time, she ends up calling me while I’m out with friends and the conversation is like: “Hey, I’m good, I’ve eaten, I’m with friends, no you can’t Facebook friend them, can I call you back?” I’d like a meaningful conversation with her every week. We can always do better for our parents; if you need inspiration, read this from my favorite blog.
7. Exercise 4 times a week; hopefully run a half marathon in 2016
I do this already, but adding it for importance. It’s not just about losing weight, it’s about being stronger and more confident/self-assured in my body. Also, I love running now and it would be awesome to run my first half marathon in 2016.
8. Look at this list once a month
There’s a lot more I want to achieve than just the above but in terms of the day-to-day plan, that’s all I have (for now). I can’t really force myself to learn new skills or set goals like “play ukulele twice a week.” It’s just not feasible for my schedule at this point. But hopefully I’ll come back and look at this list frequently and ask myself, have I been working towards my objectives? Am I getting closer to or further from what I want to do and who I want to be? Do I need to alter any of these rules, abolish some or make more? Where are my weak spots and what have I already done well?
I would love to hear your thoughts and your resolutions as well! Have a great new year!
