I’m going to be really honest – time freaks me out. Over Christmas, I got to see a cousin whom I haven’t seen in about seven years, since her wedding. Now she’s been married for years, with kids and a big-kid job… Well, by now it’s more of a career. It’s just strange – in my head, she stayed a twentysomething newlywed all those years. And in her mind, I was still an awkward middle schooler. Thankfully, we’ve all moved forward since then… Quite literally.

We keep time with reference to our position around the sun. One revolution around the sun makes for one year, and there’s a convenient rough correlation to the lunar cycle that gives us our twelve months. So exactly one year ago today, you were, well, here. In this exact position, relative to the sun. The spot that marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next is pretty arbitrary. But we’re coming close to it, and with endings come reflection. How much has changed since you were here last? For your sake, I hope your annual journey around the sun has been spectacular.

Mine has been… A very small adventure. Objectively, my life is much the same, but I get the feeling a lot of big changes are just around the corner, and I’d like to be ready for them. Lot’s of people don’t like New Year’s Resolutions. They say change shouldn’t be seasonal, that we should be trying to better ourselves and our lives all the time. And they’re right, we should be. But the year’s end gives you room for reflection, and if that extra reflection leads to extra changes, I don’t see a problem. Mine certainly has.

 

New Year’s Resolutions

• Fix my sleep patterns – I find it hard to sleep before about 2 AM, because I procrastinate too much. Not procrastinating is unreasonable, but if I can do it less and sleep before midnight most nights, I’ll be happy.

• Maintain a regular posting schedule – I was doing pretty well on this one until finals and the holidays happened. My schedule was supposed to be Monday/Thursday. Today is Tuesday.

• Work out consistently – If that means once a week, so be it.

• Be more proactive – Fear is a paralytic for me. If I make a mistake, I tend to be so afraid of the consequences (however minor they may be) that I ignore it, which inevitably makes things worse.

• Be less anxious – I’m pretty anxious about, well, everything. And like I said, it’s a paralytic. I’ve missed a lot of cool opportunities because I’ve been too afraid of failing to try.

• Write something every day – Even if it’s just a to-do list or a few lines that sound good, I’d like to get something down on paper every single day.

• Use my planner – I spent about three weeks this summer tracking down the perfect planner that was full of exactly what I wanted, and I’ve barely used it at all. Organization has always been a struggle for me, but hopefully using my planner will help.

 

My goals for 2015 mostly center on being more disciplined and less stressed. I’d like to be confident and composed and easygoing, and if I play my cards right, I can be. It’s oddly comforting to think that, at the end of every year, we come back through the same places, especially considering the size of the universe. So here you are. Right here, wherever “here” happens to be. When you get back next year, what do you want to have changed? How will you make it happen?