2024 HAS finally arrived, and with the new year comes the idea of making improvements in your life along the way.
Making New Year’s resolutions is not an uncommon practice. As a matter of fact, it’s encouraged. For many, it serves as a yearly manifestation. It encourages and inspires people to move toward their goals with a positive attitude.
For this article, republicasia reached out to six Gen Zs to discuss their resolutions for this year. Here’s what they said:
- Rovielyn – To focus on her long-term goals and find more ways to realize a peaceful, fun and fulfilling life
Rovielyn, a college student from Lyceum of the Philippines University, said that she doesn’t take the New Year resolutions very seriously. Rather, it serves as a reminder that she should still look forward to achieving her goals.
“Another year, another opportunity,” she said.
“It’s one of my other ways to boost my motivation to improve myself for next year.”
Rovielyn’s goal for this year is to still be herself but to improve and to do better. She wants to keep herself focused on her long-term goals and find even more ways to realize a peaceful, fun and fulfilling life.
- Navin– To become better everyday and continue learning new things
Navin, a 19-year-old student from Lyceum of the Philippines University, said that his New Year’s resolution for 2024 remains the same:
“My New Year’s resolution will remain the same: to become better every day and continue learning new things. By doing this, I aim to improve and foster gradual self-growth,” he said.
Making New Year’s resolutions isn’t particularly important for Navin as he approaches each day with a different perspective and embraces new experiences.
- Kiehl – To work out more often, learn new language, and enhance architectural skills
Making a New Year’s resolution for architecture student Kiehl Moraga is very important as it allows him to reflect on his strengths and weaknesses, which would help him to improve his skills and avoid making the same mistakes.
His New Year’s resolution for this year doesn’t revolve only around improving himself and his skills but he also aims to learn new things.
“My New Year resolves to work out more, learn new languages, and enhance my architectural skills,” he said. “I aim to learn a new language to communicate with people from different countries and as for enhancing my architectural skills, this is to secure my future as an architect.”
- Elfie – To be more healthy
For 18-year-old Elfie, making a New Year’s resolution is a fun process as he can inject creativity in the process. While the idea of making New Year resolutions was fun, Elfie pointed out that making these resolutions work is usually where the struggle lies.
“Because of these resolutions, you place yourself in these situations and commitments where you feel the desperate need to pursue them, not leaving any room for failure. In many cases, when one fails most slightly, they tend to abandon their resolutions and retry them the next year—thinking that their already built-up process before failing.”
While making New Year’s resolutions for Elfie is something he would consider as fun to do, he had set only one New Year resolution and that is to be more healthy.
“My previous answer is something I can connect to myself. A resolution I have set for myself is to become more healthy. Although I am already quite healthy with my everyday diet, I believe I could do better when it comes to my physicality to strengthen my body and to also have a more physically healthy figure,” he said.
- Kristine – To spend more time on her creative hobbies
Nowadays, it’s hard for practically any college student to make time for themselves, let alone their hobbies. Such is the case for 22-year-old Kristine Malonzo, a journalism major at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
With the constant load brought about by her studies and orgs, it’s hard for her to find the time to hang out with friends, or even have some alone time to do the things that she loves.
This is why in the new year, Kristine hopes to spend more time on her creative hobbies such as junk journaling, embroidery and crocheting.
“Sobrang therapeutic siyang gawin; imbes na mag-scroll ng mag-scroll sa social media, productive rest siya for me,” she said, explaining why she wanted to focus on these hobbies.
She added that in the past year, her work and her academic load often led her to set her hobbies aside, which is why this year, she plans to allot specific periods just for the things she wants to do. This guarantees her the time and energy to indulge in them.
- Myron – To be happy both in the short and long term
For 21-year-old Myron Anarcon, this year is all about focusing on and making himself better.
There are three aspects to this: his health, his creative passions, and his relationships.
Myron plans to prioritize his health more, physically and mentally. Mentally, he won’t pull as many all-nighters as he used to, deciding that he doesn’t have to sacrifice his mental health just to be happy with his grades.
Physically, he’ll be walking around more and choosing healthier options when it comes to food – but not so much that he’ll sacrifice his happiness to do so.
In terms of creativity, Myron plans to step out of his comfort zone more. As a photographer, he has grown used to a particular genre, which is why he wants to branch out in the coming year.
He also plans to take more leaps fashion-wise. In the past, he stuck with plain black shirts but now, he’s growing to be quite the fashion icon.
“I want to branch out into different things – hone my craft [while also expanding] my skills,” he explained.
Finally, when it comes to his relationships, Myron hopes to be more expressive with his emotions instead of simply bottling them up inside. He’s learning that it’s okay to be happy, to be sad or angry, and it’s okay for people to know that that’s how he’s feeling.
In his own way, Myron hopes to shout out to the world: “Hey, I exist. I’m just being myself. I hope that you see me.”
Take your time
Upholding a New Year’s resolution can be hard. It’s something that takes a lot of time and effort, which is precisely why you make that promise at the start of the year, and you have the whole year to complete it.
In making your New Year’s resolutions, remember to take it slow – one day at a time. It’s okay to falter once in a while.
As long as you’re putting the work in, and you’re committed to make it work, that’s all that matters.
