Chat with the Chief: Not resolute

I’m not really one for resolutions.

For the most part, they’re empty promises that we make to feel good about ourselves.

In reality, six months from now you probably won’t be going to the gym everyday, or religiously filling out your journal every night, or entirely abstaining from fried food, soda or whatever your vice is.

The thing I hate about resolutions is just that they’re meant to be absolute, and life just doesn’t work that way.

So rather than coming up with resolutions and posting them all over Facebook, only to go back and delete them in shame a few weeks from now, I took a different approach.

In the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 1, I laid in bed with my boyfriend and we talked about all the little things we want to change and do better with this year.

First, I want to make time to do my homework at the library a couple times a week. I tell myself I’m just as productive at home, but that’s just not true.

I also want to spend less time on my phone. When I get home after class or work, I’ve tried to get in the habit of turning my ringer on, because I still need to be reachable, and leaving my phone on the end table by the front door.

I’ll still send a text or set a reminder if I need to but I can’t help but think about all the mind-numbing time that I’ve wasted scrolling through a timeline full of people that I don’t care about and videos that I’ll never remember.

I want to read more. When I was younger, nothing made me happier than curling up with a good book and losing myself in the pages (and I’ll need something to fill the void that used to be cat videos on Facebook).

Finally, I want to make more of an effort to stay in touch with friends. Life gets so busy, it’s easy to lose touch with people that used to be an everyday part of your life. It never hurts to see how someone is doing.

Click here for the latest Chat with the Chief focused on Ferris’ Honors Program.