My New Year’s Resolutions

Christmas has finally arrived and the New Year is fast approaching. That means…? Time for New Year’s Resolutions! Yes, I know what you are thinking: “Oh please, those things never last… They are bound to fail.” I will not deny that because how can I? A few minutes ago I read on Forbes that only 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions in the States… Not very motivational now, is it?

Last year, when I was still in high school, a teacher of mine asked us what our resolutions were for the next year. This made me realize that I didn’t have any… I expected my life to be exactly the same the next morning. New Year, for me, would begin on the 6^th of August. What was special about that day you may ask? I was flying to The Netherlands; it was my first day in The Hague. That was the beginning of a new year for me, the beginning of a new life.

When it was time for me to leave Istanbul, I made a list of my New Year’s Resolutions and here I’m sharing them with you as the New Year approaches! How many fails? How many success stories? Maybe I’ll give you some hope about the future of your resolutions …or maybe the opposite! Let’s see…

• To do sports

Yes, I thought I’d start with a cliché. Let’s admit it; we all have this one on our lists. Every. Single. Year. To get fit, to get in shape, bla bla. Nope, of course I didn’t do this one! To be fair, I did walk everyday… So maybe that counts? No? Ok, fine… I failed.

But this year it will be different. (Hey, don’t laugh!)

I’m a lazy person and fitness is boring. But there is still hope! Haagse Hogeschool offers some nice, fun sports for a good price and it’s also really close to where I live. I’ll start going there with some friends and since we are a bunch of people, hopefully we will encourage force each other to go. Plus Zumba and Volleyball sounds like fun..? Yes, I will do this. This time it will be different.

• To be brave about food

After a fail I thought I would go on with a success story, you know to balance things. When it comes to food I am very picky… Well about vegetables I mean. Bleh! I would say that this one was bound to fail. But, no! It didn’t.

BAM! Picture proof! Broccoli (aka Small Trees) AND Eggplant! Special thanks to my awesome roommate for the delicious nights, we have all enjoyed them very much!

• Take more photos

Moments are gone; it’s the photos that last. That’s a thought left from a conversation with an old friend, followed by a photo to capture the beautiful time we had together. Afterwards I came across a Friends episode, The One with All The Resolutions, where Monica’s resolution was to take more photos of the group.

It was as if all signs that can possibly be given by the universe were put into action for me to have this resolution. And? I can proudly say that this year (meaning from the 6^th of August) I’ve taken a whole lot of photos.

Fail 1 – 2 Success(es)

So far so good.

I’ll -try to- slow down with the explanations, like I always do…

• Write more Thank you The Leidener! (+)
• Get a blog No longer necessary thanks to –again- The Leidener. (+)
• Watch classic movies This means less rom-coms, not that I have a problem with them but that moment when you realize that you’ve already watched most of them… It’s time to take a break. Amelie, Into the Wild, Das Leben der Anderen, Pay it Forward, Life is Beautiful… The list goes on but in short: (+)
• Less chocolate. Less coffee. Ha ha, of course this one is a joke. I would never have such a resolution. Not just because I couldn’t but because I wouldn’t. Life is just too short for that! Enjoy your chocolate, enjoy your coffee; you have my full support!

Fail 1 – 5 Success(es)

Wow! Pretty impressive, huh?

When I first started writing this post, I hadn’t actually checked what the score would be in the end, it was a brave decision.I did hope that I could pump some motivation to you all though. What’s the message of this post? Stop making resolutions, just get out there and eat some chocolate! Nope, that doesn’t sound right… Hmm… Keep up with the resolutions -if you like them- but try to be a little more realistic and yes get yourself some chocolate, it’s good for you! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I’m sure you will all have an awesome new year filled with lots of joy and happiness and chocolate.

Happy Holidays!