New Year, Improved Me

New Year, New Me.

This is something I hear a lot as the end of December and the beginning of January approaches. For  some people this saying might correspond to them wanting to eat healthier or go to the gym more often, set more personal boundaries and learn to slow down more. But how many of  us stick to these resolutions? It’s February- how many of us are successful?

Maybe we need to change the way we look at “New Year, New Me” and analyze the reasons  and set realistic and attainable goals that can help us succeed.

I know this year I tweaked that saying and am on the track of “New Year, Improved Me.” I  looked back on all the situations in 2021. I wish I had done different or better and I think  about those things when making decisions this year. It’s small and sometimes reminds me but I feel it’s doable. For example- something I wish to improve upon myself  this year is time management and valuing my worth.

Let’s tackle the time management part first as I think a lot of us students can relate.

My scheduled time is well thought out and managed… but what about my unscheduled  time? I found that if I have 20 or 30 minutes here or there I tend to gravitate to YouTube or Netflix. But how could I be using that time more wisely? In my mind I know- read a book,  practice a hobby, or even do some chores around the house; and this year is the year I am  making that CONSCIOUS effort. 20 minutes after lunch free?- pay bills. 30 minute break  between writing papers?- swing my rope at the dummy 50 times. 20 minutes before class?- Create engaging content on social media. It’s not been easy so far but I’ve found building  successful habits rarely are.

Now on to valuing my expertise- this really just falls back to the main theme of standing up  for yourself in a professional setting. You know, deep down, your worth (intellectual,  artistic, craftsmanship, etc.) or if you don’t it’s not a hard thing to figure out once you put the pen to paper. It can be intimidating to express this; thoughts like “I haven’t finished my  degree yet so I’m not a real researcher”, “I’m really young in my field so I must have less to  contribute than my counterparts” may swirl around. That’s normal!! But don’t let it dictate your narrative.

“New Year, Improved Me”. It’s the first of February and I can say these small but forward  moving steps have definitely stuck with me so far (much better than my “work out every  day” or “eat less sweets” resolutions).

Thinking about the new year in this new light- what are you hoping to improve upon in  2022?