My New Year Resolutions

As I write this blog post, my 2022 New Year Resolutions, I am sitting on the couch, bundled under a blanket, in some baggy sweats, sitting next to Rad and my family, watching a Bowl Game, taking it slow. And I can't help but want to bring this slowness into the new year. Not laziness, but patience. Not complacence, but contentment. If you've read my blog posts, most of them refer to productivity and efficiency: saving time, making the most of everything, getting stuff done. These things are good, but they can leave you sitting on the couch on New Years Eve feeling worn out and hiding from the stress of another trip around the sun. So, going into 2022, I want to slow down in these three ways.

#1: Enjoy the Moment

Stop and smell the roses. Cliche, I know. But maybe the reason its cliche is because so many people have realized the truth behind it. I've always been one to make the most out of each moment, but this year I want to enjoy "the least" moments. The days with the least amount of scheduling, the to-do lists with the least amount of tasks, the weeks with the least amount of quizzes. In the past, I've struggled to enjoy these types of things because I feel unproductive and unaccomplished. I feel like I have to do more. This year, I want to do less. And enjoy it. Less rushing from one thing to the next and more savoring the in-between, like sticking around after practice to talk to teammates or walking to class instead of biking.

#2: Relax

As much as it pains me to waste time, it might not be a waste. This past year, relaxing has been a challenge for me. I have a TV and a shelf full of books waiting for me in my dorm, hardly touched last quarter. It's not that I don't have free time. It's just that whenever I do have free time, I feel guilty using it to actually relax. There is always an assignment to get ahead on or some stretching to do or some people to call. This year, I will try to indulge in my free time--guilt-free.

#3: Patience

If my sport is any indication of my pace, I tend to live life quickly, with little to no time allocated to waiting. In fact, I want to use this space to sincerely apologize to everyone that I rushed in 2021. Without a doubt, racing is a part of my lifestyle. Racing to finish my lift so I can start my homework sooner, racing to finish my homework so I can go to bed earlier, racing to go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier and start it all over again. Naturally, I treat life like a sprint. But this year, I will treat it like a marathon, focusing on the fruit of patience.

The short length of this blog post symbolizes my first attempt at slowing down. Doing less. Being okay with it. And enjoying the free time that comes from it.

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy (face) New Year!! - CJ