This time last year I made a few promises to myself. New Year’s resolutions were all the buzz, and I blindly followed the flow, writing down a new set of rules for myself to abide by. They read:

• I am going to be a vegan.
• I will only eat sweets once a week.
• I am going to work out at least 5 days a week every week.
• I am going to do the dishes after every family dinner.

Yes, there are obvious problems with all of these. I will address them later. As for actually following through with these poorly-thought-out “goals” however, I failed.

First, the vegan statement. Throughout most of January, I actually stuck with this. I stopped drinking milk, ate minimal eggs and stopped all red meat consumption entirely. But then February came, and I thought to myself that I had done this long enough, and I ate a steak. Now the year is over, and I can officially say I have probably consumed something from an animal every day this year since, whether it be milk, cheese or poultry. One resolution down.

Next, I told myself I was only going to eat sweets once a week. First, let me start by saying that I write this paper with a mug full of hot chocolate next to me and some peppermint bark on a napkin to my side. Clearly this goal didn’t last long, not even a week. In all honesty once the clock struck 12:00 AM on New Year’s Day, I walked over to the refreshment table and ate three brownies and a chocolate chip cookie. Clearly this resolution meant about as much to me as the hot chocolate (which is now gone and soon to be refilled).

My next resolution was to work out five days a week, every week. I started off strong, and continued on strong for a long time. In fact, this is probably the resolution that I stuck with the most. Seeing that my other resolutions failed within three weeks, however, this doesn’t mean much. If you ask any of my friends, I really don’t exercise that frequently. When I do go to the Aspen Club to work out, I usually walk in, walk or run a mile or so, pretend to lift a weight, and leave half an hour later. The most exercise I have gotten this week is running up and down the stairs from my room to the kitchen to refill my hot chocolate.

And my last resolution; washing the dishes. Ha. I have probably washed the dishes twice this whole year.

So, there are all of my resolutions, pitifully washed down the drain (or not, considering I have only done the dishes twice) into a rather goalless year of eating a lot of candy, washing the dishes never, working out never, and eating enough meat to fill a whole farm.

Now, however, looking back on all of resolutions, I am glad that I fell through. Three of my four resolutions were about food, getting fit, or doing things to essentially look better. All of my resolutions focused on bettering myself in other people’s eyes. I thought that in order to make myself happier, and make people like me more, I had to work out more and eat less and fall into society’s views of what was pretty and what was healthy.

Well, now that the year is over, I have a better outlook, and I have figured out what isn’t healthy and what is. What isn’t healthy is a 14-year-old girl thinking that the amount of sugar she eats and how much meat she consumes defines her as a person. What is healthy is enjoying a cup or two of hot chocolate, working out because you want to and it feels good, and doing the dishes not so other people like you more, but so that you feel like you genuinely did something to help, no matter how small the deed.

My 2016 resolutions are going to be a little different. I have learned that it is better to have one or two resolutions that really mean something as opposed to four or five that are all relatively focused around the same thing. This year, I am striving goals that focus around bettering myself internally and mentally. The following is what I have come up with:

• Help my parents with whatever I can. Even the small things. They all add up.
• Spend more time outdoors.
• Stress less, smile more.

They are all simple. Simple goals to help me stay on track and keep up with a healthy mindset. However, maybe I shouldn’t call them goals. I’ll call them ambitions; that way I can’t fail. I’ll call them ambitions so that I don’t have to stress about completing them, I can just pursue them at my own pace. Afterall, as long as I am not stressing about them, I am already checking one of them off.

So, this year I look forward to enjoying myself. I will eat what I want, work out when I want, and help others because I want to, not because I have to keep up with a “resolution”.