Resolve to Keep Being You

By Tage Mehta

The fireworks go off, the ball drops and the glasses clink. On New Year’s Eve, we celebrate the year completed and make goals for the year to come. New Year’s resolutions often focus on the aspect of ourselves we want to change — what we don’t like about ourselves. Some of the most common goals concern diet, exercise and bad habits.

While goal setting and self-improvement are important, this year I’m going to add another category of resolutions to my own list: what I like and what I want to continue.

I think there’s value in writing down our positive habits and reaffirming our commitment to them. For starters, self-love. It’s important to our own mental health to recognize the things we like about ourselves and reward the good things that we are doing. By rewarding them we’re more likely to continue doing them. Maybe you have been spending a lot of time playing with your pet, being consistent about doing your homework on time or trying new recipes and loving it. If something is good for you and makes you happy, that’s awesome, why not commit to continuing it?

Moreover, although it may require some attentiveness and deliberate effort, it may be more attainable to achieve one of these continuous resolutions rather than start a new one. Goals that aren’t attainable are inherently ineffective goals because they can only leave you feeling disappointed rather than motivated.

If I can take something I’ve already done, then I’ve seen it in action already and believe I can keep doing it. So even when life gets busier or more complicated, I still hold that belief that my good habits are still doable.

Of course, as you take the time to evaluate your year there is nothing wrong with wanting to try something new. Just make sure you take a moment to appreciate the person you are and the work you put in each day to be that person.

Editor’s Note: We’re happy each month to publish an article written by a student from the Westfield High School Journalism Department. WHS features an important legacy of fostering strong journalism and features a 100-year old newspaper, Hi’s Eye, as well as award-winning magazine, The Optic, and a widely-popular digital publication.