There’s a tradition in Spanish culture to eat twelve grapes for the last twelve seconds of the year. It’s a fun way to end the year. Each grape is supposed to represent a month of the coming year, and this tradition is supposed to bring you luck. As I crammed the last grape into my mouth, I thought about my resolution. I decided to do more exercise (by far the most popular resolution). The very next day I set about this journey, found a random workout video online, and decided to try it out. It felt fine, and I was confident I’d be able to stay true to the resolution. The next day, however, I could not move my arms. They were perpetually stuck in a lego-like, bent at the elbow, position. I’m starting writing this story on January 5th, and I have yet to regain full mobility of my appendages. After my failed first shot at new year’s resolution (which I am intending to keep until past February), I thought it’d be interesting to go around and ask people what their resolutions are; it might give you some ideas too (and no it’s not too late to make one). So here are Rowland Hall’s top resolutions for 2023, and some not-so-common ones too:

Be more present and in the moment.

Sell my uterus on the black market. (I think this was a joke.)

To not make a resolution.

Digital diet (work and non-work).

Take more vacation days.

Eat more orange things.

Work out less.

Feel free to take up any of these or make up your own.

Now that you have a resolution, you need to keep it. The best thing you can do to make your resolution last past February is to take small steps.

If you want to use your phone less, start by reducing your screen time by 10 minutes a day. If you want to eat less sugar, limit yourself to one substantial sugar intake a day, and then cut back on that time. Taking on too much too quickly isn’t ideal, and it may discourage you from keeping your resolution. If you’re trying to break a habit, remember that it’ll take time. If you bite your nails, you’ve probably been developing this habit for years, and it’ll likely take a while to fix it.

Think of a bottle of honey as a microcosm for new years resolutions. Your resolution is the act of turning the bottle over. Work is the gravity that makes the amber liquid flow down the sides of the bottle. After some patience and some shaking, the honey comes out of the bottle, signifying a satisfying ending to a long journey.

Basically, it means you should take it slow and wait for the results.

We as a culture tend to give up quickly; we just have it too easy. You don’t want to work out? Talk to your plastic surgeon. You don’t want to eat healthier? Just talk to your dietician. We tend to leave things in the control of others. That’s why it’s so important to keep a resolution. It’s your own motivation versus the thousands of distractions that could keep you from your goal. It’s you versus the world. If you can keep a new year’s resolution for a whole year, you can do anything. So as you’re eating those twelve grapes (which I think everyone should do on New Year’s Eve), think about the ways in which you’re going to seize your future; and make sure not to choke on the grapes.