Photo courtesy of Ian Schneider | Ring in the new year with some achievable goals that your parents will still be proud of.
Resolutions are made at the beginning of every new year as a pathway to a successful year. Hopefully, by the time December rolls around, one doesn’t feel as if they just threw 365 days down the drain by accomplishing nothing more than the bare minimum. While a great idea, it can be inconvenient or exhausting to see the resolution through. Resolutions tend to require an intense dedication that a person most likely has never shown before, making them difficult to complete. However, some resolutions are achievable without having to buy a gym membership that you won’t ever use or stopping participation in something you love. 2017 was emotionally exhausting on the global scale for politics and disasters, so in an attempt to make 2018 better, try to live your best life in whatever way you deem necessary. To get you started, here are some realistic resolutions that you might want to add to your list for this year.
1. Take care of our planet’s ever-increasing landfills by actively recycling more. If you live in the dorms, take advantage of the blue bin Xavier provides for each dorm room. Sometimes it is easy to forget recycling rules, so here are some friendly reminders just in case.
• First of all, do not recycle tissues. Not only are they not recycable, it is also gross.
• Before recycling plastic that once contained food, quickly rinse it. You can’t recycle plastic until it is clean.
• For more specifics about the dos and dont’s of recycling, click here!
2. Reading is amazing, but sometimes it is hard to find the time during the school year to sit down and read a book for fun. Instead of making a resolution to read 20 new books (which you still can, if you want), challenge yourself to listen to a podcast or audiobook every other month. Knowledge is power, plus podcasts and audiobooks are a breeze to listen to while driving, walking or taking some chill “me time.” I personally like Radiolab’s podcasts and audiobooks, which are accessible through many sources like Amazon or iTunes. Get learnt, folks!
3. Remind yourself of your worth because you occupy space. You matter. You’re never too good or too unloved for a good self-esteem boost. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends if you need somebody to lean on — we all have our rough days.
4. Wave goodbye to all the toxic people in your life! You don’t need them and they are only bringing you down. If they are toxic, they are a waste of your time.
5. Instead of trying to get rid of all that change in your wallet, collect it throughout the course of the year in a container of some sort. At the end of the year, take the container and donate that money to charity. Any little bit helps!
6. Take a chance and do something once a month that mildly scares you. Make a new friend, go to a party, get a tutor or try a new type of food (like sushi or Indian food). The possibilities are endless!
7. Try to be more organized by at least buying a planner or calendar, staying up to date on emails and making some sort of system of organization. It could be an organized pile of chaos, but the important adjective is “organized.” As long as you can find it, that’s all that’s essential.
8. Take some time once a week to destress from the week’s events. De-stressing is absolutely necessary for productivity and a healthy mindset. De-stressing is different for everyone and can be done through naps, Netflix, coloring, etc.
By: Monica Schweiger ~Features Editor~