Growing up, I have always made New Year’s resolutions. I remember sitting down with my parents and teachers and thinking about what I want to accomplish for the year to come. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed planning everything to the smallest detail, and the best way to begin planning something is to make a list of goals. This plays a significant role in why I  believe in making resolutions. Although an increasing number of individuals around the world have decided to stop making New Year’s resolutions, writing out my goals for the upcoming year is something I will continue to do for the foreseeable future.

Making New Year’s resolutions are a good way to look back and reflect at the ending year. For me, 2018 has been full of both beautiful moments and extremely difficult ones, and I have learned so much from it. When I write out my goals for 2019, I get the opportunity to think about what I have accomplished in 2018 and how I have changed as a person. I then am able to write resolutions for the upcoming year based on what I believe I did wrong and what I would like to continue doing right.

Having New Year’s resolutions keeps me on track for the year to come. By knowing what I want to accomplish physically, mentally and emotionally, I am able to be more organized and ready to get a step closer to the person I want to become. Some people say that resolutions bring them down, and if that’s what they do to you, then, by all means, do not make resolutions! However, the opposite is true for me. I like them because they outline a plan on how that year is going to look and how to reach my goals, and this motivates me. I do not think I have ever accomplished all my resolutions, and that is totally okay! For me, though, having a few resolutions instantly makes me want to try something for the new year- it gives me that push of inspiration that so many of us lack these days because of school, sports, and just our tiring and busy lives.

Almost my entire life, I have seen the beauty in beginnings: the beginning of the calendar year, the beginning of the school year, the beginning of a month, the beginning of a season, the beginning of an age. Although I agree with resolution critics who think that just because it’s January first doesn’t mean you have a clean slate, I believe that having a full 365 days to change something about your life that you have been wanting to change is motivational and inspiring. Being the very type A person that I am, having a crisp start date for something makes me happy, and what better day is there to start changing something about your lifestyle than January 1?

Here’s the thing I think many people believe about resolutions and makes them against the idea of new goals for the new year: resolutions make people think they need to change. This is absolutely untrue. Everyone is perfect in his or her own way, and as cliche as that seems, it’s incredibly accurate. In my opinion, resolutions are not a way to force yourself to be different, but a way to make yourself happier and better to yourself. Instead of your goal being to get all A’s, for example, it can be to work even harder to get better grades. I find that this helps take the pressure and sometimes defeat out of New Year’s resolutions.  If making new year’s resolutions causes you to feel bad about yourself, then do not make them! But, if you are like me and new year’s resolutions motivate you, then start writing yours!