Here's to a New Year, a personal reflection

Every single year without fail, New Year's Eve has such big hype. Who will you be ending a 365-day journey with, + who will you begin page one of the next adventure with? Beyond that, what dazzling outfit are you going to throw together for the big night? Do you have a caption ready for your Instagram picture? Preferably something about a great last year + the growing excitement for what lies ahead in the next one, right?

I think most of the rationale behind this desire to be dressed to the nines and surrounded by tons of people is the visible representation it provides of the potential to be flawless in the New Year, as if a perfect setting will ensure nothing but happiness. With the beginning of a fresh calendar, we find ourselves with a unique opportunity to fix anything we saw wrong with our lives before. Jeans that feel a little tight after the holiday season becomes your obsession and motivation for New Year's Resolution #1: Workout more (even though you hate the gym + know you'll never go). A cluttered room due to the stress of finals and finding room for new gifts/stuff you dragged home from college causes New Year's Resolution #2: Be organized and make sure your room is spotless (despite the fact that life gets busy + it's unrealistic to make the time to clean daily). The envy of seeing others' vacation pictures leads you to New Year's Resolution #3: Travel more (although you have school + no money). 

If your lists are anything like mine, they continue on + on, full of generic one-liners that aren't tangible, like "Be happier," "Eat healthier," + "Lose Weight." Every year, nothing changes, at least in my experience. By the time the next New Year's Eve rolls around, I still find myself unhappy with the same trivial flaws, counting down the seconds until the ball drops so I can FINALLY begin the recreation of a 'new and better' me. Of course, this inspiration is short-lived, and I find myself losing all interest by the third week of January. 

All this hype around December 31st leads me to a big question: why do we feel the need to wait for a new year to begin a change? Every single day we live is a chance to ensure our happiness + fix anything that is preventing us from doing just that.

By no means am I trying to stop you from creating New Year’s Resolutions this year. In fact, I want to help you make them more realistic. When you look at your list of goals, ask yourself trip questions: Are they attainable and trackable? Can you provide a genuine, heartfelt reason or thoughtful explanation for pursuing this particular goal? If you answered no to either of the questions, maybe you should take a step back and adjust your list, breaking the goals down into smaller steps or making them more tangible, rather than subjective. If you don’t, you may find it harder to stick to your goals, causing you to give up before you should.

When I sat down to create my own list of New Year's Resolutions, I asked myself these same questions. As a result, I've compiled a list of ten goals, all of which I believe I can achieve by the end of this year. To hold myself accountable, I reached out to two of my incredible cousins (s/o @ali, who may not ever read this, + @megan) and asked them to be my "Accountability Buddies." Their position is pretty self-explanatory, but I want them to check in with me + hold me accountable to my goals in 2018. For those of you who think you may struggle sticking to your resolutions, this is a great option!

Although I already have two Accountability Buddies, I want to share my goals with all of you, so you too can hold me accountable for my actions, and maybe even take some inspiration from my list. 

Goals for 2018

1. Go to Church once a Week

(i started making the time for church at the end of last semester, + it seriously has made me a happier, less stressed individual. at the beginning of the year, i convinced myself i didn't have enough time to make it on sundays, but that was just a story i told myself to feel less guilty about skipping. now, the story has been re-written, + i know i can be more positive if i continue to fit it into my schedule)

2. Drink at Least 5 Glasses of Water per Day

(i know the recommended intake of water is 8 glasses per day, but honestly, that's way too hard for me. instead, i opted for 5 glasses because it seems challenging, yet actually attainable. plus, i know drinking more water will clear up my skin + enhance my health. to hold myself to this goal, i have water bottle stickers on every day of my agenda. each water bottle has 8 squares inside for you to check each glass of water you drink. it's a cute + fun way to stay on track. get your own stickers here) 

3. Run a 5k

(usually, i would write 'workout more,' but that's not specific enough for me to stick to. on the contrary, a 5k is a tangible goal, where i will be able to see my hard work pay off. additionally, i want to complete a 'fun' 5k, such as a color run, to keep my morale and motivation high. i think this is a good way to encourage me to hit the gym, since i have a reason to go beyond 'losing weight,' which doesn't seem to inspire me much)

4. Finish a Manuscript

(by far, this is the hardest task on my list. everyone who knows me knows that my ultimate dream is to publish a book. last summer, i completed a 70,000 word 'novel' that will never go anywhere besides my dresser drawer. it's cheesy, unimaginative, + downright bad, but it's a start. in order to achieve my dream, i have to keep writing. so, this year, i want to finish another draft of a new story, in the hopes of bringing me one step closer to becoming an author) 

5. Eat One Serving of Fruits or Vegetables per Day

(normally, i would have said 'eat healthier,' but that's a little too subjective, + it's hard for me to keep track of. instead, i'm opting for one serving of fruits or vegetables. it may not seem like much, but trust me, i hardly ever accomplished this small feat in 2017, so even a tiny addition of healthy foods will help me to become a healthier individual)

6. No Netflix / Social Media after Midnight

(i don't know why, but i love to brag about how little i sleep. for some reason, it seems to be something i'm proud of, but i should be embarrassed. i need more sleep in my life to function properly, + most nights it is my own fault if i only get five hours of sleep a night. i find myself getting caught in the trap of watching "one more" episode of some show, only to find the clock reading 3 a.m. when i have an 8 a.m. class that morning. more sleep will help both my mental and physical health, + it will make me a happier person, who wakes up ready to tackle the day ahead of her) 

7. Read one Non-School Book per Month 

(it's no secret that i love to read. this blog wouldn't exist if i didn't, but during the school year, i seem to get caught up in the stress of balancing classes, a social life, and extracurricular commitments, which causes me to abandon things i love doing, such as reading. this year, i want to make a conscious effort to read each month, as i know it will make me so much happier. plus, that ensures at least one post on the blog with book recommendations per month - yay!!!) 

8. Make my Bed in the Morning

(i am not the world's best when it comes to keeping my room consistently clean. i'll try really hard to put everything away, but in the hustle + bustle of early morning classes, i seem to neglect easy cleaning tasks, letting everything wait until sundays, which have become my cleaning days. one easy step to combat this problem is to make my bed every morning before class. this simple task will help my life feel more organized, + hopefully inspire me to get the rest of my room in tip-top shape too)

9. Listen to Podcasts instead of Music when going to Class

(this one probably makes me sound incredibly old, but i think podcasts are so underrated. they are full of so much untapped knowledge + motivation, which i think i need more of in my life. in 2018, i want to be more aware of what's going on in the world, + podcasts seem to be a good way to start accomplishing this. if i find any good ones, maybe i'll make a post of my favorites)  

10. Connect with at least 1 "We need to hang out" Person per Month

(we all have those friends that we run into randomly on the street + haven't seen in a while, the ones where we try to catch each other up to speed on the past few months of our lives in a fifteen minute conversation. when you part ways, it's always accompanied by a cliche "we have to hang out soon" + a goodbye. how often do we actually follow through with these promises? hardly ever, but in 2018, i want to ensure that i do. there are so many incredible people in my life that i seem to let slip through the cracks of busy days + packed schedules. there are so many memories to be made + relationships to deepen that i have to stop using busyness as an excuse. this year, i want more genuine conversations + genuine people filling my life, + i think following through with those empty "see you soon" promises are a great way to start) 

Ultimately, these are my goals for the new year, but there is a chance that I fall off the bandwagon. If I do, I want to remind myself that EVERYDAY is a new chance to start over. Maybe I forget to make my bed one day, but I don't need to wait until the new year to restart that promise to myself. Everyday is a chance to grow into the person you want to become, and I hope in 2018 we all recognize that fact, pushing ourselves towards the best people we can possibly be. 

Here's to 2018. Here's to happiness, sorrow, struggles, laughter, stress, and the unimaginable joy ahead of us. Here's to more days to grow, learn, and love. Here's to realizing that a bad day does not mean a bad year or a bad life. Here's to building relationships we've always wanted and strengthening the ones we already have. Here's to another chance to chase our dreams and to become unconditionally proud of ourselves. Here's to a year of self-love + making mistakes, yet persevering. Here's to making 2018 the most positive year yet + inspiring other's around us to do the same. Here's to another day closer to living the lives we've always wanted.

thank you for reading this post, even though it was much longer than my typical ones. i hope you have the best year ahead of you, + i'm so grateful for you being here today. you have such great things coming your way, + i know you can accomplish whatever you put your heart to.

happy reading

xoxo madison