Posted On January 7, 2015 By In Girlzone, Lifestyle

15 Resolutions for 2015

 
 

We can’t stop, and we won’t stop—Well, you should stop.

New Year resolutions are great—if you’re the type of person who is so self-disciplined that you can actually follow through with your promises for longer than one week—aka, you’re probably not human.

So, as imperfect humans, we are typically more prone to listen when we are told no, don’t, STOP. The negative is always more powerful, and I’m going to put that to the test.

 

15 Stop-It’s for 2014

  1. Stop spending more on material goods than on experiences. It’s great to feel pretty and a single compliment on your look can make your day, but you are not truly deprived of anything material-wise. Save up for moments that you will remember for the rest of your life—moments that make your heart pound with exhilaration and moments where a new scenery can take your breath away. If you want the adventure badly enough, there is no such thing as “not being able to afford it.”
  1. Stop making up stories to make your life seem more interesting that it actually is. There is nothing glorious about superficiality and there is nothing wrong with the mundane.

Just tell the truth—to others, to yourself. Or else before you know it, you’ll fall for the false impression of yourself too and you’ll believe you’re more worthy of complacency than you actually are. Or else you too will lose track between what’s real and what’s not.

  1. Stop being afraid to say YES to more things. Sitting around on the Internet is comfortable and familiar and fun, but there are so many more opportunities waiting if you just show up. Attend meetings, ask about opportunities—it doesn’t matter if you’re alone or new. Feeling passionate and creative is so much better than feeling lethargic.
  1. Stop beating yourself up for not having the time to work out. But also, stop making excuses when you have plenty of time to get some exercise. If you feel like a blob on a couch then that’s probably what your brain looks like, too.
  1. Stop hating yourself for eating dessert. But also, stop eating dessert just because you hate everything and you can’t deal with stress and emotions.
  1. Stop scrolling through Twitter when you’re at dinner with friends. Stop refreshing your newsfeed when you’re at a party. Stop checking your notifications every time you go out. You will always be able to catch up on social media, but you only have these four years with the people you care about.
  1. Stop giving your time to frenemies. Stop surrounding yourself with people who won’t reciprocate feelings of love, and stop allowing people who think negatively of you consume more of your energy. They don’t deserve it.

For starters, find friends you can get to know on a sober level (there’s a thought!). Make friends with people who inspire intellectual conversation and people who are interesting and interested in you too.

  1. Stop being so judgmental all the time. Consciously stop basing first impressions based on physical attractiveness. People are so much more than just a Facebook photo or profile view from afar. They might surprise you at how beautiful they really are.
  1. Stop revolving your every action based on what people may think. That’s so 2013. That’s also so high school.

If you think somebody is interesting or attractive, introduce yourself and tell them so. If you want to join a new club, don’t worry about the initial awkwardness of being a newbie. Stop looking so disinterested or indifferent just because you think it makes you seem cooler. It doesn’t. It only makes you seem dispassionate and emotionless and boring.

  1. Stop complaining about being busy all the time. No one cares and no one will pity you except for yourself, and the pity party can only last so long before it runs dry. The next time you are idly procrastinating, remind yourself that you are not so busy after all.
  1. Stop over-analyzing everything. Some people will love you and then suddenly walk away without telling you what you did wrong. Some others may be fickle in trying to figure out exactly what they want—but you do the same thing. Just let ambiguity… exist.

Also, why does every hookup need to be regretted? Why does every text, like, or favorite need to have an alternate meaning? Just relax.

  1. Stop erasing and regretting. Write more while the ideas are still fresh, live more while you’re in the midst of what people call the “best four years of your life.” You can have time to edit and regret everything later. Or, simply don’t erase or regret. That would mean dwelling in the past more than necessary.
  1. Stop being afraid of creating content—or of creating “bad” content. You sit and dream of being an active blogger, of creating short films, of having material (cat videos…) on YouTube. So why not forget the fears of not being seen as funny, or not being seen at all, and just let the desire to create content overpower the fears?
  2. Stop apologizing. Demand the best from yourself and others, and don’t feel bad for doing so. By insisting on nothing less than your highest potential—you naturally aim higher, and consequently achieve higher. There is nothing wrong with ambition, and strong-will is nothing you should be saying “sorry” for.
  3. Stop beating yourself up for not keeping up with resolutions 100% of the time. Self-discipline is important—it’s why I made this list in the first place. But we all fuck up. We all cut corners and need vacations. So give yourself some leeway, and then get back on track.

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About

Karen hails from Boston, but she now hails to the University of Michigan, where she pursuing degrees in English and psychology (otherwise known as a career as a starving artist). Although she is still waiting on her Hogwarts acceptance letter, she aspires to be a writer or journalist. You can usually find her at the nearest Panera, discussing good films, good art, and perhaps the meaning of life.