TESS CARCALDI

New Year’s resolutions have quickly become a running joke in the world as people make them and then fail to follow through the rest of the year.

But I am a firm believer that New Year’s resolutions can be fulfilled when two things happen:

1. You leave the past in the past.
2. You make resolutions that are realistic.

The whole point of the New Year is to start out with a clean slate. The hurt and mistakes of the past should remain in the past, as long as they have been resolved. If you have forgiven others and forgiven yourself for being human, then leave that in the past. When you bring your past into the future, you’re only going to end up hurting yourself and others once more. The New Year is a time to start fresh and continue working on being the best you that you can be by learning from the past, not continuing to relive it and bring it up again and again.

So, step one is to leave the past in the past and start living for the present. In my opinion, life is much more manageable when you take it day by day.

Step two is to be realistic about our resolutions. If you know you’re not going to have the motivation to wake up before work or school and go to the gym for an hour the entire year, then don’t make that your resolution. If you know you’re going to be miserable by making your resolution to be more productive in the morning when you’re so not a morning person, then (again) don’t make that your resolution.

It’s important to be realistic about what we know we can achieve. That way, it can be something we can work on the entire year and not feel like a failure when we give up on our resolution in February.

That being said, a resolution doesn’t have to be a huge change. It can be a simple change. If you want to be more active, then start by walking instead of laying on the couch on your phone when you want a break from your work. It’s a great way to get extra steps in (where my FitBit lovers at) and to clear your head before your next assignment. If you want to be more of a morning person, wake up five minutes earlier than you normally would each month. By the end of the year, you’ll be waking up an hour earlier than you did in the past year.

Making a New Year’s resolution doesn’t have to be a joke or an unattainable goal. It can be a small change that improves our lives just that little bit more. Plus, when you accomplish a goal throughout the entire year, it makes you feel pretty good!

So, here’s to leaving the past in the past and setting realistic resolutions. What are your goals for 2019?