New Year’s Resolutions 2022
New Year’s resolutions have never been my strength. It seems every year I write the same resolutions and every year I fail at sticking to them. Today I hope to find out what went wrong and how I can possibly fix it for 2022.
My Problem
To start I tried to find out what was wrong with my past resolutions. I looked all over for my 2021 resolutions, but no avail. I think that’s where the root problem lies though. My resolutions were never something I wanted to or could do so I wrote them down and forgot about them. If I want this to change I would have to write realistic resolutions for myself that I really want. Then I would have to find a way for them to be a daily reminder rather than something lost in the background.
Although I couldn’t find my resolutions for 2021, I actually was able to find my resolutions from 2020 in my notes app. These resolutions gave me some more insight into why I failed. For example, one of the resolutions from 2020 was to lift six times a week. It was ambitious, but that was not the problem. I was hyper focused on the how instead of the what. My goal was obvious; I wanted to get into shape. However, I forced myself into a rigid framework where I would have to go to the gym in order to lift to attain this goal. That’s not the only way to get into shape though. If I wouldn’t have been so specific I could have seen that there were plenty of ways to get into shape including eating right and exercising in general.
Another flaw with my previous resolution was quantifying it. Setting a goal to go lift six times a week may work for other people, but for me setting a number and not reaching it can be demoralizing and cause me to stop altogether. If I want to stick to my resolutions I have to be sure to avoid this pitfall.
My Solution
I have been thinking real hard about what my goals are for 2022. Every time I came up with a goal I backtracked until I came up with a general goal. I have ended with the following resolutions:
- Make healthy choices
Whether it’s eating a nutritious meal, working out, or looking out for my mental health, making healthy choices will benefit all these scenarios.
2. Be Creative
Being a nerdy CS major, I have never really been good at being creative or having a creative outlet. That is part of why I started writing my thoughts here on this blog. However, I don’t want to limit myself to just writing. So in 2022 I will be creative, whatever that may entail.
3. Learn
This one stemmed from wanting to read more. I read for enjoyment, but also to learn more about the world and myself. Just like writing and creativity, I didn’t want to limit my learning to reading. There are so many things I can learn to grow both professionally and personally in 2022, and reading won’t be the only way to learn them.
Now that I have these resolutions I have put them onto the home page of my phone, so I am reminded daily of what my goals are for 2022 and honestly for life in general. Looking forward to this time next year and hopefully writing about how I stuck to my resolutions!
Thanks for reading this far and I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. Feel free to share your resolutions with me; I’d love to hear them!