My 2018 New Year Resolutions

Photo via Emily Byrski

Dress for myself

Sometimes I get too caught up with changing the way I run my social media and blog in order to grow it/attract more readers. In 2017, I got way too caught up in jumping on trend bandwagons or buying/wearing specific things for my blog because they "photograph well" and elevate my style. At the same time, I would refuse to buy things I actually liked because they were too basic or
wouldn't photograph well. Operating under these principles led me to be super unhappy with the final results of my blog content because the outfits just weren't me at all. I even looked at some of my outfits in retrospect and hated them. I've always said that if you aren't being yourself on your blog, you readers are going to see right through you and they aren't going to like your content either. In 2018, I am only going buy clothing that I really, genuinely like. 


Cooking > eating out

I have never wasted so much money on food as I did in 2017. I was always so tired at the end of the day that all I wanted to do was order GrubHub (a food delivery service popular in NYC) and lay on my couch. I probably ordered food in about 4 nights out of the week, each time costing $13-$15. The other 3 nights, I would usually go to the deli around the corner from my apartment building and get a cheap, unhealthy dinner or eat in the dining hall the one night each week I had a night class. If you are wondering what I did for lunch and breakfast, I usually just have a granola bar in the morning and then snack throughout the day or get food at my school's dining hall on the days I have classes. Since the healthier options for ordering in are even more expensive, I would resort to ordering unhealthy things to keep the price under $15. So at the end of the day, I was spending exorbitant amounts of money to eat super fatty, processed foods. Yes, cooking is more time/energy consuming, but at the end of the day it's so worth it because you control what you put in your body and you save an infinite amount of money. I think the one thing that really holds me back from making my own food is working up the motivation to make the long trip from Trader Joe's and back (keep in mind that I live in NYC so I have to take the subway to do this). The cooking part, itself, isn't that bad or hard to me. In order to compromise with myself, I'm going to try out grocery delivery services, which are super common/popular to use in NYC! Yes, I may spend an extra $8 or so on the delivery fee, but that's nothing compared to the money I will be saving from not eating out! 


Stop comparing myself to others 

This is kind of an ongoing goal that I've been working on for YEARS. I've always had problems with this and it severely impacts my happiness. As they say, "comparison is the thief of joy." It has especially become a problem since moving to NYC because everyone is focused on their career and status. There is also so much money in this city which leads to a focus on money and the things that money can afford you. When I'm focused on measurable, superficial things I am so much more likely to compare what I have to what other people have (wealth, a nice apartment, a prestigious job, etc). This is very intertwined with my next resolution which is... 


Look for happiness in people, not things

I'm not a psychologist by any means but I know enough to know that focusing your energy towards fostering healthy and strong personal relationships is a key way to create true happiness. In this new year, I want to put more effort into strengthening my friendships. This is a pretty vague statement so here are some examples - reach out more often to hang out (I'm notorious for choosing my bed and Netflix over social time), telling them how much they mean to me, buying them little surprise gifts, doing favors for them and just helping them out in any way I can. This is why strengthening my friendships is so important to me: when I am struggling with anything boy related, job related, money related, etc., it's hard for me and I'm sad. When an important friendship is rocky or I feel like a close friend is becoming distant, it feels absolutely devastating. I can't focus on anything or get my mind off of it. When I feel very confident in my friendships, though, I feel very confident and happy in general. I believe that keeping these relationships strong and putting their importance above all the superficial BS will lead me to a happier 2018 where I am content with what I have and not constantly comparing myself to other people. 


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