It’s been a few weeks into the new year and I’ve had some time to reflect on what I want from this year. What I ACTUALLY want … not some New Year’s resolution list that you make in the beginning of the year and never look back at until the year is over and realize you never achieved anything on it. I’m looking to make goals that I can actively work towards to better myself as a person on a day-to-day basis, rather than for the sake of checking a box off of some list. This year for me isn’t just a year of growth, but also a year of actually embracing who I am, faults and all.
If you know me well, you know I’m constantly stressed and it’s usually about school, but I can guarantee I’m not alone in this feeling. Life is already so chaotic and yet students only have the time to think about grades and extracurriculars because our future seems to depend on it. So, for 2021, I want to make an effort to start to make more time for myself and a social life, amidst all the exams and work we get, for my own sanity. There’s a life outside of school and, as cheesy as it may seem, I never take a minute to actually slow down to enjoy the little things that life has to offer, so why not start now? Also, I want this to be the year where I realize it’s okay to make mistakes, and when you make those mistakes, rather than beating yourself up about it and thinking about how you could’ve done it differently, take it easy on yourself. In the context of a class, realize you’re more than just your grades and that bad grades really aren’t the end of your career.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but quarantine completely shattered any social skills that I had. Confidence? We don’t know her at the moment. So, in 2021, I’m aspiring to bring that back into my life. For me, this is going to be the year where I step out of my comfort zone and stop caring if other people are judging me, because realistically they’re probably not, and if they are, who cares? I want to start living every moment like I want to and embrace who I am fully and unapologetically. Don’t let anything disrupt your happiness, and surround yourself with people and things that you love … which bring us to my last and most important goal of 2021: get a cat.
At this point, through spamming them with various TikToks, numerous people know that I am in love with cats, but the hard part is actually convincing certain people in my family to let one in the house. Throughout the past year, I’ve been giving out not-so-subtle hints to them that we should get one, but obviously that didn’t pan out. So, I’m making it my mission this year to achieve this goal of getting a cat because, as I said before, it’s important to surround yourself with things that you love, and that completely applies to this.
Last year was a hell of a year for everyone, but hopefully this year brings us all some good luck. Reflect on what you want from this new year and make it yours. Whether it’s learning to love your faults, becoming more patient with yourself and others or simply breaking out of your comfort zone, work on making this a year of meaningful self-growth and introspection.