Happy New Years everyone! Still cannot believe that it is 2019. For the recent years, I stopped doing New Year resolutions because I noticed that they were literally the same every year. Be neater. Sit up straighter. Be a tad more outgoing. And, I tend to enact small “resolutions” throughout the year anyway, so doing them for the new year did not feel necessary. Self-improvement tends to be a continuous, cyclical process. It is easy to revert back to old habits. But through small consistent efforts, we can become a better version of ourselves.
An amazing alternative to New Years Resolutions that I’ve found is choosing just one word to focus on for the year. The word can embody what you think has been lacking in your life. It can be something meaningful only to you.
My word for the year is present. I am the kind of person who can become consumed by the past and future, and forget to see what is right in front of me. While I am not a worrier at heart, this tendency does make the present less enjoyable. I am a master of delayed gratification, dissecting previous mistakes, and planning for the future. As a result, in romantic relationships, I naturally think about potential barriers and challenges that prevent it from working out. And sometimes forget to fully enjoy the time that I have with someone. In school, I can get distracted planning my overall longterm goals, instead of doing what is needed at the present moment. In social gatherings, my mind wanders to a million different worlds except the one I am in.
Obviously these are traits that can probably never be “eradicated.” And I don’t think we should ever want to completely alter ourselves. But if it’s something that can be somewhat debilitating for your relationships and well being, there’s no reason not to try to improve.
Personally, I hope reminding myself to be more present will help me with my insomniatic tendencies, occasional anxiety caused by uncertainty, and regrets about past decisions. Basically, it can do wonders for mental health. And therefore, I think it’s been far less surface level than past resolutions or words that I’ve had.
I would love to read what you guys think about new years resolutions. And whether you have tried what I like to call a “one word reminder.” And leave whatever goals or resolutions you have the comments below!
Art of Medicine 