New Years Resolutions

Inevitably around the end of December people start posting New Years resolutions and what their opinions are on them. Lose weight, spend more time with family, save money, learn something new, travel, the list goes on... There tends to be two sides to the debate- those who make New Years resolutions and those who choose not to because they feel like they're setting themselves up for failure. I'm not usually one to sit down and contemplate "resolutions" but I've always had a huge appreciation for the fresh start that New Years brings. This year, I decided to sit down and think about how I felt about resolutions and what they are, if any. Heres what I came up with: 

Life is a journey. It's about learning, growing, changing and figuring out who you are. If you want to accomplish these things, goals are a good way to start. Before I make a decision, I try to stop myself and think "Is this contributing to the person that I want to be?" If not, I don't do it. New Years gives us a chance to sit down and evaluate where we've been and where we want to go moving forward. Does it need to be New Years in order to do this? Absolutely not. Just because it is doesn't make it bad, though. For me, New Years is a great time to reevaluate myself. It's right after the holidays when I've had a break from school, spent time with my family and experienced a lot of joy in giving. It's a great time-out for myself that gets me back on track and reminds me of what my priorities are. So what resolutions make good resolutions? I think that's completely dependent on the person. Some people work better with large general goals, others with smaller, more specific goals.  Your goals should be whatever is best for YOU. 

After contemplating all of this, I sat down and thought of a couple goals for myself.

1. Read a book every month. Reading is something that I really enjoy. It forces me to sit down, take a break and disengage from the stress of everyday life. It's my favorite thing to do for "me" time! 

2. Do something active 3 times a week. For me, this will probably be yoga. It's another thing that's important for me to do for myself in order to relieve stress and take care of myself in the midst of a hectic schedule. 

3. Take at least two trips. Traveling is something I'm passionate about and want to take the time to do! 

4. Do something to serve someone at least once a week. For me this is extremely important. I'm a very compassionate, service oriented person. I don't want to lose that side of myself to a busy life. 

5. Create a routine. Sometimes I feel like I lose a lot of time everyday trying to figure out what to tackle next or something doesn't get completed because I forgot/ ran out of time. I think a routine would help me manage my time better and accomplish more things that I would like to accomplish. 

So there you have it! My 5 very simple New Years resolutions.