My 2019 New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone! A few days ago when it was actually New Year's day, I was thinking about my year and decided I didn't really feel like writing a lookback for my 2018. It's not because I didn't have a good year or anything, but I'm excited for 2019 so I decided to write what's sort of a look-forward instead. I wanted to talk about my resolutions for the year and what I'm looking forward to the most. First of all, I know that lot of people think New Year's is just another day. It's kind of pointless because you should be able to change the way you live any day, so why does everyone rely on the passing of a year to get their life in order? For me, it's just the idea of a fresh start and it feels like with the change of the year, it's easier to change as well; does that make any sense? My first resolution is to be more confident. Everyone always says to be confident with yourself, but it's definitely one of those things that's easier said than done. However, it's something that I (and pretty much everyone I know) struggle with, and I feel like it's holding me back, so in 2019 I hope to gain some confidence even if it's just a little. This is also part of the reason I'm only writing resolutions and not goals this year. I am the type of person who always goes overboard with New Years goals to the point where they're unrealistic. I was reading my list from 2016 and realized that I still hadn't accomplished any of the goals I wrote down, and it was kind of discouraging. I think that writing resolutions that I can work toward over the years, won't be as overwhelming. My next resolution is to cook more often and eat healthier. I love baking and I also like cooking but It's not something I do that often, because either I don't have the time or I'm not motivated. Usually when I come home from school I start my homework right away or I have to get ready for soccer. On days when I don't have that much to do, I take it as a night to relax and watch Netflix or catch up on sleep. This means I usually rely on someone else to cook for me (sorry guys) and if no one else gets around to it, I sometimes go for something that's not the healthiest. After receiving a couple cookbooks for Christmas, I'm really excited to try out some new recipes in the new year. I'm also hoping to try out some new sports. I've always liked playing tennis at the court near our house, and hopefully sometime I'll get the chance to take lessons. I also think it would be great to try out something fun like kickboxing or a spin class. Although I love soccer, it would be nice to find some other athletic hobbies that aren't as competitive. Which means I also want to try out for school teams like ringette (because I miss it) or the dragon boat team (because I haven't done it before). My fourth resolution is something that will hopefully allow me to be organized and creative at the same time, and that's bullet journaling. Being organized is important for me when it comes to getting things done. For example, exams are coming up *sighs*, and I'll lose my head if I don't have a list of the studying I need to get done or an exam schedule. I usually use planners but I don't like planning everything out day by day or being limited to the layout of an agenda. I'd rather see my whole month laid out on one page and have everything (lists, to-dos, etc.) in a personalised notebook. Also, and probably the more important reason, is that I find bullet journaling super satisfying and think it's cool that you have free reign over all the pages. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch a bullet journaling video on YouTube because it's a cool concept. Finally, my last New Year's resolution is to be more adventurous and less daunted. When I say that, I mean with pretty much everything in life: travel, people, places, my own ambitions. It sounds pretty cliché, but I think it will be important for me this year to accept new challenges and to not be completely pessimistic about change. I'm really excited to travel this year and explore some new places. One place I've always wanted to see and will have the chance to soon is NYC. Maybe I'll also go camping or road tripping in the summer to places I haven't seen before. I'm not completely sure but I do know that I'm open to new things and to making new friends. What are some of your New Year's resolutions?

-Maya August