New Years Resolutions -- yes, no, maybe so?

Sara's thoughts...

Hi, Sara here! Alli & I are going to be sharing our thoughts on New Years Resolutions today. Personally, I love a fresh start! So I am a BIG fan of Mondays, the start of the school year, a new year, all of it!

Every year in December, I spend some time reflecting on the past year -- the experiences I had, what I liked, what I didn't like, what I felt worked well, what didn't. That's where I get the ideas to build my plans for the next year. I don't really call them resolutions, more like goals or areas in my life I want to be more aware of/intentional in.

For example, at the beginning of November, I underwent surgery & had some complications which made my recovery longer & harder than expected. I had several dear friends that stepped up & brought meals over & checked on me regularly. I was so humbled. In reflecting on this, I've decided that in 2020, I want to make sure I am more intentional about friendships. I want to be sure I'm watching for ways to show my love & appreciation to the people that matter to me.

Also, not feeling well made me realize how much I value good health, so I want to make sure that I am making that a bigger priority in my life.

Alli's thoughts...

My thoughts are pretty different from my mom's so if you agree with her then don't judge me when I say: I hate New Years Resolutions. Yep, that's right. Hate 'em. I didn't come to this realization until my freshman year of college. Every year (because my mom is the wonderful person that she is) I set a few resolutions for myself. & every year, I never lived up to them. This repeated process year after year started to change my mentality on New Years Resolutions. Nobody likes to feel like a failure & that's how my New Years Resolutions made me feel.

I also feel like New Years Resolutions are super publicized & it's really popular to share about them in our society. & because of my stubborn (& curious) personality, it's my job to question this & ask why (& maybe also rebel a little).

Now I want to clarify, I am 100% in support of making life changes that put us on the best path to becoming the best versions of ourselves, & I too like the feeling of a fresh start. I just don't get why we have to wait until the beginning of the year to make all these big announcements of change? Like if you want to stop drinking pop, make the change! If you want to eat healthier, make the change! If you want to pray more, make the change! If you want to start walking more, make the change! If you want to start drinking more water, make the change! If you want to stop buying so many clothes, make the change! If you want to be more intentional about friendships (mom), make the change! Why wait for a certain month? Make the change.

What about you? Do you make New Years Resolutions? We'd love to hear your thoughts!