Happy 2019!

This year is feeling bright, positive, and like big things are going to happen. Now, you might be thinking, who is this girl to tell me how to stick to my resolutions? But bear with me, here’s how I know: I fail every single year. I’ll admit that. Every time I try to make resolutions, I end up breaking them. “Sober January” ends after three days, and I end up cancelling my gym membership by May. Some days I don’t get off my couch except to answer the door when the pizza guy knocks (for the second time that week). But I’m also here to tell you that that’s okay.

We have to stop being so hard on ourselves! It’s incredible that we’re here on planet Earth at all, so why not learn how to start enjoying it? January always starts off with good intentions, but a few weeks in and you’ve already given up on your resolutions. That’s just setting yourself up for failure. We tell ourselves, “well, I already gave up, so I might as well skip the gym for the rest of the year, right?” It’s not the best way to look at things, but it happens more often than we’d like to admit. We get bummed out that we’ve disappointed ourselves. And that’s the worst type of disappointment—when you let yourself down.

Well, no more. I happened to pick up a book over Christmas break called ‘Girl, Wash Your Face’ by Rachel Hollis. She makes some incredibly valid points about how we must start viewing ourselves. Reading it, I thought, damn, this is some relevant information for how I’m going act in 2019. So, I’ll share it with you. Hollis writes:

“What if you had a friend who constantly flaked on you? What if every other time you made plans she decided not to show up? What if she gave lame excuses like, ‘I really want to see you, but this TV show I’m watching is just so good’? Or what if a friend from work was constantly starting something new? Every three Mondays she announced a new diet or goal and then two weeks later it just ended. Would you trust them when they committed to something? Would you believe them when they committed to you? No. No way. And that level of distrust and apprehension applies to you too. Your subconscious knows that you, yourself, cannot be trusted after breaking so many plans and giving up on so many goals.”

Boom. That hit me in the face. Slapped me around a little bit. I needed to hear that.

How many people do you know who blow off plans constantly? Do you really enjoy their company? Do you really respect them? Do you really want to be one of those people, especially to yourself?

So here’s how you stick to your new year’s resolutions this year, perhaps for the first time in your life:

Become your own best friend. When you make plans with yourself, don’t blow them off. Don’t let yourself down. Remember, you don’t want to be the type of person nobody respects. When you start respecting yourself, you start to reach your goals. Stick up for yourself. Show up for yourself. Follow through on that gym session tomorrow. Don’t bail on yourself. I promise it makes all the difference in the world. You’ll generally be overall happier and in a better mood when you do the things you say you’re going to do. You’ll respect yourself more. And holding yourself accountable for your actions is a great way to achieve your goals this year.

Everyone has hard days, especially university students with so much on our plates at once. It’s okay to slip up and skip your plans when you physically or mentally cannot get out of bed. It’s tough. How are we meant to juggle class time, homework, jobs, a social life, and a healthy lifestyle? We have massive to-do lists 24/7. But how often do we put ourselves at the top of that list?

You’ve gotta do what makes you happy, and you’ve made these resolutions for a reason. I encourage you to try to follow through. Whether your resolution this year is to get in shape, save money, travel the world, quit smoking, or join the circus; put it at the top of your list. When you’ve got your own back and trust in that, you can move mountains.