3 New Year’s Resolutions For Teenagers

It’s that time of year again. Every Jan. 1st we all make big promises and then break them within the next two weeks.

Woohoo! Bring on 2016!

I don’t think I set many New Year's resolutions when I was a teenager. My time to set resolutions was typically around mid-November when my teachers called me in to discuss my grades. That said, when I look back at my time in high school there’s a lot of things I would have tried to change if I knew better.

I’m no longer a teenager, but here are three New Year's resolutions I wish I had put some effort into when I was in high school. If you like any, please use them yourself!

1. Be more open with everyone.

I was very self-conscious in high school. Even when I was hanging out with friends I was always worried what other people thought of me. I really didn’t speak my mind much, even when something bothered me. It was pretty stressful.

Looking back, I would have told a few people they were jerks, asked more girls out, and spent more quality time talking about life with my brother. Remembering my past five years, I’ve always been happy when I took a risk and spoke my mind. Even when someone reacts badly, the pain/shock soon goes away and I’m wiser after the dust has settled.

2. Don’t waste time with people you don’t enjoy.

I spent a lot of time hanging out with “cool” people who I always felt a little on edge with. I didn’t really have too much fun, but hey, I was cool, right? Basically, this was a big waste of time.

After high school ended I went off to college and met a whole new group of friends. Nobody knew my friends from back home so I wasn’t “cool” for having hung out with them. That’s a lot of time I spent pretending I was having fun.

3. Exercise regularly.

I actually did a pretty good job with this one. I went to the gym on my own time and often went with my best friend from high school. We were pretty regular with it, and my biceps were awesome. (Sorry, a little self promotion there…)

I only played one sport throughout the year: lacrosse. For the rest of the year this workout routine kept me from getting flabby. (My girlfriend played sports all year long, so this was pretty important) Once you get into the habit of working out regularly you’ll feel great and be really glad you did. It’s a habit that will help you throughout your entire life if you start building it now.

[Looking for more tips? Here's 5 things to do after school if you're not an athlete.]