I don’t think I’ve ever kept a New Years’ resolution my whole life, despite making them every year.

Go to the gym daily, don’t ever eat takeout, read a certain number of books . . insert anything else extremely unattainable here.

These are just some of the things I say to myself every Dec. 31 when the clock strikes midnight.

Making and keeping your resolutions

Some people think New Year’s resolutions are silly and say things like, “Why do you have to wait for the new year to make a change?”

But I think if someone is going to make a positive change, a new year is a perfect fresh start. So, let’s kick some of those bad habits, and grow as people in 2019!

Here are my New Year’s resolutions this year, and how I plan on keeping them.

Better choices

In 2019, I want to be healthier.

I know there’s no point in saying “never eat takeout” because I know sometimes, I won’t have a choice.

I also don’t believe in restricting food choices when it comes to social eating.

Instead of telling yourself to never eat out in 2019, make it your resolution to make healthier choices at restaurants when you are running late, forgot groceries, etc.

That way, when you do make plans to eat out somewhere with your friends, it will be a well-deserved treat since you made a healthy choice that day you forgot to pack a lunch. Go you!

10,000 books

I love reading, but over the past few years I’ve had little pleasure reading time as a result of my academic reading (which is obviously super important).

“I’ve decided to focus less on a number and more on what I want to learn.”

Every year I make a crazy book goal, something along the lines of 10,000 books (okay, that’s an exaggeration). This year, instead, I’ve decided to focus less on a number and more on what I want to learn and how I want to grow.

So, my resolution will be to read more biographies and non-fiction books and to step out of my fantasy novel comfort zone. This flip in thinking can be applied to any activity, and puts less pressure on you to live up to an unattainable or unrealistic number-based goal.

365 days

I think a new year is the perfect time to look back on all the fantastic things that you accomplished in the previous 365 days and to think about all that you’d like to achieve and how you’d like to grow over the next 365 days.

Cheers to a new year and lots of growth in 2019!