7 New Years Resolutions You Can Actually Keep
New Year’s is famous for inspiring wildly unrealistic resolutions that fade away after January. You’re probably not going to learn six languages, cure cancer, or become a world-famous tennis champion in the next twelve months;, especially as a college student short on time and money. But, it’s great to have goals, so don’t simply scoff at the tradition and discount making resolutions altogether. Instead, aim for resolutions you’ll actually be able to keep – like these seven.
1. Have One Brand-New Experience Every Month
Flinging oneself off high objects into water can be very rewarding - and also super metaphorical.
College is the perfect time to do the fun and crazy things you’ll want to tell your kids about later. It doesn’t have to be one of the obvious “new experiences” like bungee jumping or skydiving, although if thrills are up your alley, why not? If you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, there are lots of other options. Whether it’s taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon with a few close friends, trying an exotic restaurant, or just starting a conversation with a random person who looks interesting, these are the things that you’re going to remember. They could even change your life. So take a chance once in a while. Jump off that cliff! (See? Metaphors.)
2. Don’t Rob a Bank
No, no, you’re doing it wrong. The first step to not robbing banks is to NOT wear ski masks.
This will take much resolve and fortitude of heart, but you can do it! Many people experience overwhelming desires to commandeer large buildings full of money, demand private planes, and escape to the Cayman Islands, so it takes a special type of discipline to resist the urge. By committing to this resolution, you’ll be able to test your moral fiber, improve your self-control, and, as an extra bonus, avoid being sent to federal prison for the next twenty years. If you really wanted to up the ante on this type of resolution, you could set a goal to not commit any crimes at all! It’s hard, but it’s all worth it in the end. Not being in prison is pretty great.
3. Go to the Gym 3-4 Times A Week
Nice try, but this doesn’t count.
The gym is a fairly common location for New Year’s resolvers to congregate, but too many people over-commit and end up not being able to follow through. Let’s be honest, you’re not going to go every single day, and you don’t have to spend three hours at a time working out when you do go. Three or four times a week is a lot more realistic. Even if it’s just for half an hour, you’ll be able to start noticing differences in your body composition and athletic ability by the middle of the semester. Plus, this is the only time in your life that going to a gym will be free! There’s pretty much no downside to exercising, other than the fact that it’s really hard to drag yourself out of bed in the morning to catch a workout before class(or forcing yourself to go after class when your brain is already fried.). Fortunately, exercise helps you feel more energetic, so that problem is just a temporary one. And anyway, New Year’s resolutions are supposed to require willpower!
4. Don’t Start Smoking Meth
Yes, even though Breaking Bad was amazing.
Meth: not even once - even if it’s chemically pure blue meth developed by a terminally ill high school teacher and a baggy-pants dropout. Now, it’s fine to get addicted to watching Breaking Bad. You should do that instead of meth. It’s a good show. If you haven’t seen it, clear your schedule for the next week, because binge-watching is the only acceptable way to see a great show with all five of its seasons out already, and you might not be able to stop anyway. Just be glad you don’t have to wait a week in between episodes. …Did we essentially just tell you that you should make a New Year’s resolution to watch more TV? Yes. Yes we did.
5. Eat At Least One Vegetable Every Day
See how thrilled he looks to be eating those carrots? We must be on to something.
It can be really hard to eat healthy in college. Between the deliciously greasy takeout pizza and the endless dining hall buffet of fried foods and unlimited dessert, nutritious foods kind of get the short end of the stick. However, psychologists have reported that you can actually train yourself to like certain foods if you eat them often enough, so force down a salad or some Brussels sprouts once a day and you might actually start to enjoy them! Plus, it’s generally agreed upon that having the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals in your body is far superior to experiencing nutritional deficiency diseases like scurvy. Don’t get scurvy. Eat your vegetables!
6. Don’t Fail All Your Classes
If all your papers look like this ten weeks in, you are doing this resolution wrong.
One class? A fluke. Two classes? A hard semester. But failing every single one is probably not a thing you should do. And, well, if we’re being honest, you ideally shouldn’t fail any, but you’re only human. Anyway, this means not sleeping through morning classes, possibly making use of the on-campus tutoring center for your really difficult ones, and talking to professors during office hours if you have questions about class material or are hoping to get some advice for how to bring your grades up. Professors love when students actually show an interest in doing well, so it can’t hurt.
7. Start Planning for the Future
Such optimism.
Whether it’s your freshman year or your senior year, you should be keeping the end in sight. Decide to treat college as preparation for your career and post-graduate life rather than a four-year party (although we’re not saying it can’t be both; you just might have to trade one or two late nights at the bar for 2 a.m. study sessions). The earlier you begin to really invest time in figuring out your life, the better. When it’s all over, you’ll want people to write you recommendation letters – so get in good with your professors. You’ll want a resume with more than “Busboy at Pizza Hut” written on it, so start looking around for internships in your field. And you’ll want all your teeth, so don’t start smoking meth. Did we mention that one already?
Feel free to make more than one of these resolutions, but don’t feel pressured to make all seven of them. After all, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Some people just don’t have the right personalities to not rob banks, and, well, that’s okay. Where would the world be without bank robbers? Actually, strike that question; it would probably be better. The point is, make resolutions that are within the realm of possibility for you to actually achieve, yet also challenging enough to keep it interesting and help you grow as a person. That’s what New Year’s is really about.
Image Sources
1. http://liveinspirednow.gorgeshosting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/seven-of.jpg
2. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Balaclava_3_hole_black.jpg
5. http://img.taopic.com/uploads/allimg/120621/201957-1206211G93287.jpg
6. http://cdn.happyplace.com/assets/images/2013/07/51df19db0b152.jpg
7. http://newsarticlescj.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/2010-01-14-life-after-graduation001.png
