New Year Intentions > Resolutions

Well, thank God that's over. 2020 was definitely something. I honestly can't even wrap my head around the fact that it's 2021, but I guess that means it's time for some New Year's Resolutions! This year my resolution is to have none! In 2021, my goal is to focus on my intentions rather than my resolutions. I feel like more often than not, resolutions wind up with a negative connotation, like if you didn't complete it you somehow "failed" that year. Going along with my last post about giving myself grace, I've decided to opt out of strict resolutions (i.e. lose 20 pounds), and instead establish goals that give me grace (i.e. take better care of my body).

Let's talk more about "health". A lot of times, especially with weight loss, it's extremely easy to focus on numbers as measures of success, when really, health does not correspond to the number on your scale. It makes me so sad every time I hear a friend of mine make a negative comment about their body, especially about their weight. As a 5'9"/5'10" female with a relatively athletic build, I've always been pretty "skinny". However, this did not mean AT ALL that I was healthy. For the majority of my life, my diet consisted of only sugar and carbs. I'm still not a big fan of vegetables to be honest. But, as I've grown older and my body has changed, I've tried to base my diet on things that make me feel better, rather than worry about my looks. Now that I have more control over the food I choose to consume, I rarely eat fast food (maybe once a week), which may seem like a lot to some and like nothing to others. But that's sort of the whole point, it doesn't matter what's "healthy" for others, it's about what's better for you and your body. And although I obviously cave sometimes, it's gotten to the point where I don't even enjoy eating fast food because my body now knows what it's like to eat better food. Habits like this can be difficult to break, but the body has its way of adjusting and allowing us to continue. I think that's pretty beautiful.

Obviously there are so so many more resolutions out there that don't revolve around weight loss. There are infinite ways that we can improve ourselves, regardless of whether it's a new year or not. Here's some that I especially like and would be happy for other people to use:

1. Set aside time each week to reflect. Whether you pray, meditate, manifest, journal, etc., allow yourself to think about the good things going on that we tend to ignore. For me, this blog and my happy moments account gives me a great platform to reflect each week. I would highly recommend writing down things that happened to you or observations from that day/week/month, whether you plan on sharing them or not!

2. Find a new artist/album/genre to listen to. Music has always been an amazing outlet for me, and I love finding new artists throughout the year. Some of my current favorites from a few different genres are Mac Miller, Frank Ocean, Morgan Wallen, and Fleetwood Mac.

3. Explore a new hobby. Whether it's painting, learning an instrument, baking, etc., find something that brings you joy and challenges you! Remember that it's okay to not be super good at something right away, and good things take time.

4. Reconnect with old friends. Just the other day I met up with one of my old mentors/leaders from high school for coffee and it was so refreshing. I often get super caught up in looking forward and meeting new people that I forget to appreciate the people who have gotten me this far. Special shoutout to anyone still reading this, whether we've seen each other recently or not, you rock!!

5. Anything that brings you joy. New Year's Resolutions can be whatever you want. Don't worry about what others are doing, just work on finding something that makes you happy. After all, it's your life, not anyone else's.

I hope all of you have an amazing, joy-filled new year and that 2021 is a little more kind to us than 2020.

xoxo,

Morgan