Low-Key New Year Resolutions

   Happy New Year everyone! It’s 2015 and you know what that means!!!!!! Well nothing really, except that it’s now 2015. I know a lot of us can be anti-new year resolutions, meaning that we do not see the point in creating resolutions just because another year has passed. I mean a year, just like a week, a month, and an hour, are man made concepts to give the illusion that we have some sort of control over time, whatever that is. Basically, we should be encouraged to change our lives any time we want, not just on January 1st. Nonetheless, I always think the new year is a nice little push for us procrastinators who keep saying we’ll ‘do it tomorrow’ and for the dreamers who keep saying they’re just waiting for the ‘right time’. What’s different about this list is that it isn’t going to tell you to study harder, stop procrastinating, or to finally make time to work out (All things I have not done LOLZ). Instead I’ve shared some rezzies that are low-key, but that I hope can give you a high-key positive outlook for 2015.

1. Take note of the times you are happy.

   As the year passes by many suckish things can happen. Unfortunately, sometimes the negative things are what take up most of our brain space. This is why rezzie #1 is to take note of the times when you are happy. Write down accomplishments or simple things that make you smiiiiiile in a journal, on the notes section of your phone, in a word document, or even on little slips of paper that you keep inside a jar. This may seem cheesy at first, but trust me, after you read back what you’ve written, all sorts of warm and nostalgic feelings react inside your body. I love doing this because I easily forget any good things that have happened especially while I’m stressed out about school or sad for no reason in particular. Once I started writing down what big and little things made me happy in the span of say, a month or even 3 days, I realized that ‘hey! Life is not that crappy. Awesome things happen!’ Remember, not all good things happen on large scales. Sure they can be as big as landing an awesome job, but also as little as discovering a really rad song.

2. Become a yes man/woman.

   In our everyday lives we are faced with a load of decisions. Socially and academically, we either embrace new experiences or reject them. A lot of things that I have rejected in the past whether out of fear, intimidation, or indecisiveness, have become some of my biggest regrets! That’s why rezzie #2 is to say ‘YES’ to more things. Sometimes thinking too much about possible outcomes can psyche you out of doing something or trying something new. Don’t let the fear of failure be the reason you don’t try something. Not everything we do is going to go exactly the way it does in our heads and that’s okay! I know we’ve heard it all before, but if you don’t throw yourself out there, you can miss out on some great experiences and lessons, even if all you did was make clumsy mistakes along the way. The world needs u and u need the world.

Knowing when to say yes, also means knowing when to say NO:

   We live in a world that wants us to say yes to everything and embrace all things. We’re surrounded by phrases like ‘Say YES to life!’ or ‘Carpe Diem’. They make us wanna do things and really take life by the reins. But sometimes you just. don’t. want. to. do. something. Whether it’s an invite to a stranger’s party or a cashier’s pleading offer to apply for store credit, knowing when you want to say ‘no’ is important. We may not wanna be a party pooper or seem like a total pessimist, but if we simply don’t feel like doing something or someone, we shouldn’t feel guilty or afraid to say so! It’s important to know our limits to show us that we care about our little selves.

   3. Don’t be afraid to be alone. A lot of us feel the constant need to be surrounded by others so that we don’t wilt into the unsocial butterfly that so many of us fear becoming. Whether you’re sulking about not being in a relationship or moping about not having any Friday night plans, stop giving alone time a bad name in your book. Remember, being alone doesn’t equal being a failure or being a weirdo or being unwanted.

Filmaker Andrea Dorfman and poet Tanya Davis have a very nice video on spending time alone that is def worth the watch:

   4. Do things for others and yourself. This can be done with something as little as a compliment. Sometimes we see something in a person that we really respect or appreciate, but we keep it to ourselves. We think that they must already know that they are super talented or funny or smart, but knowing that someone cares about something they probably try really hard at, can lift their spirits mountains beyond mountains!

   We all feel a natural inclination to help someone when we know they’re in trouble, but we hesitate to actually give them a hand. Next time that you hear that little voice in your head saying ‘let them borrow your pen’ or ‘defend that person from that rude fool!’, act on it! It’ll make their day and their reaction can make yours. 

   More importantly, do things for yourself. Something I did in 2014 that really made a difference in how much i believe in myself as a human being, was giving myself encouragements. Tell yourself how awesome you are. How great your face is, how funny your are, how intelligent you are. You can hide messages in your wallet, backpack, or notebook telling you ‘do not give up just yet!!!’ or ‘your hard work will pay off!’ or ‘dam. u look so good today’. It may seem silly at first but the more you say good things about yourself, the more you will start to believe them. The important thing here is to be your own motivator because sometimes you will be the only person telling you that you CAN do something.

   And after you accomplish what you thought was impossible, go out and treat yourself! Take

yourself out to eat, splurge on that one thing you’ve been hesitating to buy, or spend a luxurious day home, napping and binge watching your fave TV show.

   5. Let go of 2014 crap. Another reason I like January 1st of every year is because it can be seen as a checkpoint. Visualize that all your progress has been saved, and there’s nowhere to go but forward. You choose what you want to bring into the new year and what you don’t care to dwell on anymore. Doing a little New Years cleaning can help you take on the year minus the persistent memories of the pervious year. Maybe it’s a receipt from an unpleasant dinner date OR a rejection letter from a school you swore you were getting into OR an essay you got an F on. Tossing these mementos in the garbage doesn’t mean you hate a person with bitter passion or hate yourself for failing. All it means is moving on from a time in your life that you don’t want to stress out about anymore. And because one of my personal low-key resolutions is to curse more (lol), just fuck it, and move right along.

   Remember guys, if things don’t go as planned, it doesn’t mean that things are going wrong, they are just happening differently and that is okay. So go forth and conquer 2015.

:-)

-Kristal