Resolutions

As the new year begins, many people make resolutions or goals they want to achieve in the coming year. For most people, these last about a week. Usually it's the same for me. I tend to make a list of things I want to do and see... and then I forget about it a week later. This year I'm hoping I can actually stick with it a bit better. I'm off to a good start considering I actually sat down and made this blog AND ordered a bullet journal on Amazon! I typed up a big, long paragraph on my Instagram spam account (winnie.thepoop), but since long paragraphs are super boring to read, I'll just list them out-

1- Get out of my comfort zone and talk to more people- There are over 1,700 people at Liberty North and I have maybe talked to 150 of them. There are so many people with such interesting traits and hobbies and I want to get to know them.

2- Put fear behind me and not let it shape the decisions I make- I cannot tell you how many times I haven't done something because I was afraid. Whether it be something small like talking to the cute guy in my ELA class, or something big like bungee jumping in Oregon (I did zip line!), I want to be able to do these things without second guessing myself or holding back.

3- Build on the relationships with my current friends- I only have two and half more years of high school. Crazy, right? I want to make my relationships as strong as possible so the bonds I have made with these people last even when we're not together. It makes my heart hurt thinking about not seeing my friends everyday. I want to make sure that they are indeed, my friends forever.

4- Become more comfortable in my own skin and body- So many people struggle with this- especially me. I have never been comfortable in my body. I have never been proud of my body. I play sports and tend to work out occasionally but this year I want to actually work to a point where I feel good and where I can accept that no one is perfect.

5- Commit more to skills I already have- I play piano and ukulele. I play tennis and I used to play basketball. I paint and I draw and I write. 2016 was a year of discovering myself and all these skills. 2017 will be a year to commit to and grow on these skills

6- Read and write more- I remember when I was still in elementary school. Every night I would spend AT LEAST an hour reading. My favorite subject in school was writing because I loved to create these stories and put them onto paper. I took weekly visits to the library and I fangirled over every single ship. As I've grown older, these things have begun to become a smaller part of my life. I want to change that and set aside time to rekindle these things that were so important to me.

7- Create closer relationships within my family- I love my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. I wish I could see them every weekend and hang out together as a family. However, it seems with everyone's busy schedules, the only days worth setting aside to be together are birthdays and holidays. Even if I could just meet my cousins somewhere and get coffee or take a weekend to go visit my grandparents, I would be making our bonds closer.

8- Reconnect with friends I haven't spoken to in a long time- When I was young, I had to change schools multiple times. At each school, I made new friends and I became very close with them. But, when the school boundaries were changed and I had to change schools, the relationships I had with those people seemed to die out. I still see my kindergarten best friends, but only once or twice a year. I haven't talked to some of the people I grew up with in years. I want to rebuild the friendships with these people and hopefully keep them this time.

9- Not let my life revolve around my phone- I, like many other people in this day and age, am CONSTANTLY on my phone. I'm constantly refreshing Instagram or checking Buzzfeed or Snapchatting my friends. Somedays I can spend up 5 hours on my phone watching Netflix or checking my social media. This needs to change. If I'm going to be on this blog preaching about loving nature and enjoying life, then I need to learn to do so myself- without my phone in my eyesight.

10- Become a better Christian and person in general- In the past, my religion has been my number one priority. I spent every weekend volunteering at some event, I went to church every Sunday morning and I went to youth group every Sunday night. Unfortunately, as real life and school began to take a toll on me, these things became less of a priority. This year I want to work on reconnecting with God and making my religion a bigger part of my life. Hopefully by doing so, I will become a better person along the way.

11- Not let school hold such a burden over me- My mom and friends have told me a million time- "school is important, but it's not the most important thing in life. Stop stressing yourself out". I seriously think I have a problem. I almost couldn't enjoy the first day of my Colorado vacation because I was so stressed about missing school. During finals week I actually think I sprouted some grey hairs. It's a problem how much of my life revolves around school. I want to be able to do good in school without making it the number one priority in my life.

12- Let the good things define me, not the bad- I struggle with this as much as anyone else. The good things I do stick with me for a little while ad make me feel good for a short period of time. But, the bad things stay with me for years, keeping me up at night thinking about how I messed up, what I could've done differently, how things could've changed. I want to let the impression of the good things and the bad things switch. I want to be able to lay in bed at night and feel good and proud of something that happened a while back. I want to be able to forget the mistakes I make in life and not let them stick with me forever.

I plan on making a lot of changes this year, both physically and mentally. I hope maybe some of my resolutions inspire some of your own and help you improve onto yourself this coming year!