Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you actually keep them?

In past years, my resolutions have varied: Quit caffeine. Lose weight. Work harder in school (that was the distant past, and it definitely didn’t correlate with quitting caffeine).

My level of success has varied even more widely. I quit caffeine for a long time, once. I lost a bunch of weight over about a five-year period last decade, but in the past two or three years I gained most, if not all, of it back. One year, I succeeded in tracking every single thing I ate in MyFitnessPal, and it definitely helped me be more aware of what I was consuming.

This year, I’ve come up with — not resolutions — but goals for the person I know I want to be and the ways I know will help me get there. I simply want to be healthier in every way. That means:

4Physical health — I am going to try to exercise more, drink less soda and consume fewer calories.

4Mental health — I am going to try to procrastinate less, read more, use social media less and straighten up more of the clutter in my life.

4Spiritual health — I am going to try to go to church more, pray more and study the Bible more.

Now, those goals aren’t very defined, and most experts will tell you that goals and resolutions need to be concrete. But I’ve spent a long time paying little attention to my health in all of these areas, and I can feel it in every way. I think once I make these changes and realize the positive effects in my body, mind and soul, the motivation will come naturally.

Good luck to you on whatever you’ve resolved for 2020.