I've never really done the whole New Year's resolutions thing. I figure that if there's something you're really serious about changing, you'll just do it. There's no reason to wait for a specific date or time to start if it's really something you're serious about. Plus, if you're always waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect moment will never come. That being said, the start of something new (such as a year), is really great time to take a look back at how far you've come and where you want to end up. I want to make sure that when I'm celebrating on January 1st, 2013, I can look back and see that I've become a better person since right now. That's all I want to do. I want to be a better person on January 1st, 2013 than I was on January 1st, 2012 - whatever that may entail. I have some ideas on how I can better myself and they are:
- Create something every day. Anything. It doesn't have to be a sculpture or a painting or a blanket. It could be as simple as a smile. If I create a smile by doing or saying something to someone, that's good enough for me. That being said, I probably shouldn't use the smile excuse every day.
- Stay more organized. The weird thing about life is that it really is just a huge chain reaction. One thing happens, which makes something else happen, which makes another thing happen, and that's it. I am always late. To everything. And it causes me so much stress in my day to day life. But I find that when I am organized, it helps me stay on time because I know exactly where what I'm looking for is, and I'm also a lot happier, not just because the area around me is cleaner and neater, but because I don't have as much stress in my life.
- Get rid of the junk. I actually started on this a couple weeks ago. I just went through a bunch of my drawers and storage areas in my room and just started throwing out (or donating) all the things I didn't use anymore. I definitely find it really hard to throw things out because I'm like 'Well, this cost money. I don't want to waste it!' But I have to be honest with myself, when was the last time I actually used that cheap body wash my cousin bought me for Christmas 4 years ago? So it went in the trash. It was just taking up space. Yes, it cost money, but there was no reason at all to keep it. I still have a long way to go, but it feels so much better to have that stuff out of my life. This idea, of course, can also be applied to the people, places, and things in your life that bring you down. Yes, it's true that coal can become diamonds, but don't waste your life waiting for it to happen :)
- Read 30 books. This is my most resolution-y goal, but I think it's important. I know that 30 books doesn't seem like a lot, but considering that I only read about 10 in 2011, I think it's a good start. Not only do I want to set this as a goal because I miss reading and I sometimes forget how much I love it, but because I think when you spend time reading, you get a lot of benefits. Not only do you get an escape, which can help ease stress, but you learn new things. You also spend less time doing things that may not be too good for you, like spending hours and hours and hours on the internet (guilty) or sleeping all day just because you can (guilty). I'm currently reading Paper Towns by John Green and hope to finish it in time to read The Fault in Our Stars (also by John Green) when it comes out January 10th.
In the end, I think your life is really what you make it. Unfortunately, sometimes we choose to let it get us down and feel like everything around us is really shitty, but it's not and it could be so much worse. 2012 can be as awesome as you want it to be :)
