2017 couldn’t have come at a better time. I think I can speak for all of America, arguably the world, when I say we needed a saving grace.
With the start of a new year typically means the end of bad habits. We feel this wave of motivation to start working out, to read more, save more money, to just be a better us in general.
For some reason as January comes to an end, we succumb to our old selves and start to lose momentum and we fall back into the same pattern we promised ourselves that we would never repeat.
I’m challenging you, and myself, to make this year different and stick to goals that you have given yourself. They say writing things down helps to make things stick so, today, I will be sharing 5 resolutions I plan to turn into life changes this year.
1. Get organized– I haven’t used an agenda since middle school and I never saw a need to keep up with one. However, the further I got into my college career, the more I realized that I can’t just rely on memorization. I needed to turn to something a little more concrete. I headed to Target, picked out a planner, and I have already begun using it. Though it’s an extra step in my day, I know that it will help me keep my assignments completed and my anxiety at bay.
2. Limit Social Media use– Its one of the biggest distractions in our society. More presently, in my life. It’s one of the first things I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before I go to sleep. This year I want to limit that. Though my efforts will pale in comparison to Ed Sheeran’s year long social media hiatus, I’m hoping its effects will be similar. I want to be more present in conversations, studies, and with my thoughts.
3. Be more proactive– With the amount of coursework I have this semester, I really can’t afford to procrastinate and aimlessly watch Netflix (though, I was just binge watching The Office- balance, people.) Since one of my other goals was to be more organized, I think the perfect precursor is to attack assignments well before due dates.
4. Write more– Joining Her Campus is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. Before college I didn’t write nearly as much as I wanted to. Her Campus has provided me with the push I needed and the platform to do so. I have also began writing for myself over Winter Break and I hope to keep up with it and grow as a writer in 2017.
5. Be more positive– This is possibly the most important goal yet and one I will continuously work towards. Like 2016 taught us, life is short and it can be taken from you at the most shocking and unexpected of times. I don’t want to waste this one life we are given by being negative and doing anything that doesn’t fulfill me. I have met a great group of people in college that add to me as a person and I hope I do the same for them. I want 2017 to be a year in which I continue to find myself and evolve.
I have a lot of expectations out of 2017, but to be fair, 2016 wasn’t all bad. I came to USFSP and that was life changing. I met amazing people, moved to a thriving city and began taking classes in a major I’ve only dreamed of.
Whatever you want out of this year, I really hope it happens for you. Don’t forget to pick realistic goals that you can see yourself reaching and never be discouraged if you fall off track, just keep going.
Cheers to 2017, here’s hoping it’s the best one yet.
HCXOXO,
Imani Craig
Images used:
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