For what it’s worth: it’s never too late too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
I don’t think I’ve ever made a New Year’s Resolution. If I did, I didn’t follow through with it. A new year does not mean a new person. Repeat after me: A new year does not mean a new person.
For people like me, a common resolution for 2020 is to be happier. Another one I’ve seen is less stress. I can’t forget about healthy eating resolutions. My question is…why can’t we start now? I get it. Having an official start date to help keep you accountable is nice. However, the only thing that keeps you accountable is you.
A New Year’s Resolution is something that sounds nice. It sounds like a good idea until the new year starts and that resolution eventually gets flushed away. A real goal, a real resolution to life can be started anytime! It’s never too late. So, let’s talk about my 2020 resolutions goals.
My 2020 goals, my life goals, are ones that I know can be accomplished. I know with some dedication, a little time and money, and the right people I can get to where I want to be in the future.
My number one on-going goal is to prioritize my mental health like I do my physical health. For the past 6 or so years, I have taken my physical health as a top priority. I played competitive basketball as a middle schooler and part of high school so that in itself was a workout almost 5 times a week. On top of practices, I lifted weights, did more cardio and other exercises. When I had control over meals, I would make sure I ate the healthiest option. I drank the most water, took vitamins, etc. It is proven that exercising releases “happy hormones”. Working out can only produce so many of these hormones. For someone like me, working out was effective in the moment and in that moment only. I ignored my mental health. I ignored that fact that even though I was in some of the best shape of my life, I was also severely depressed and an anxious wreck. As I continue my fitness journey, I will also continue my mental health journey. I want to be happy and healthy; happily healthy if you will.
What does being mentally healthy actually look like? That’s a loaded question as it’s different for everyone. For me, it’s the little things. Sleeping through the night, getting out of bed feeling refreshed, a day with minimal anxiety, laughing and smiling are all examples of what happiness is to me. Yet happiness includes so much more than the daily pleasures I should experience. So, in 2020 and just for life, I would like to do more of what makes me happy…but what makes me happy? I had to do some soul searching for this one, but I came up with a pretty good list of things I would like to try and things to do more often.
- Blog! As I’ve mentioned before, I have a passion for writing! Help me accomplish my goal by giving me feedback on my posts.
- Exercise! Exercising is and has been one of my favorite activities. I love seeing changes and I love the burn it gives me. I have fallen out of my routine yoga practice in the past month or so; I’d love to get back on track.
- School! Education is important to me and I’ve recently decided what I want to do with my life. Majoring in exercise science opens up a world of opportunities; I’ve decided on becoming a personal trainer and attending physician’s assistant school.
On top of putting my happiness first, I would like to continue to be the person I am now. I am loving, caring, smart, and most of all empathetic. I tend to feel every emotion, even those that aren’t my own. Though this can be a blessing and a curse, I am glad that somehow I was made to be this way. My characteristics not only make me unique, but they allow me to connect with others on a deeper level. My goal in continuing to be this person, while also accepting growth and change, is to inspire new thinking in others. I used to be, sometimes still am the kind of person who drowns in their own sorrow. Emotions can be heavy; sometimes heavy enough that the strongest person can’t carry them. I would talk down to myself in ways no person should. Now, I am able to focus my negative energy on other things and have learned coping skills. I hope to inspire this change in thinking with others.
Of course, 2020 should be filled with positive change and growth. 2020 should be nothing but your year. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, does the year 2020 really change anything? Do your resolutions make the change? Or is it the person inside of you begging to be seen?
2020 needs to be the year that we all love each other deeply. It needs to be the year that we let go of past judgments and welcome new friends. 2020 is the year Now is the time to be your genuine self- no fear.
This is our year. This is our life.
Me + life 