Hello 2018! Setting New Year's Resolutions in Playlist Form
Of all the traditions I’ve tried to adopt over the years, making a playlist in the beginning of January to set the tone for the new year has been the one I am most grateful for. The end of the year is always a time of reflection and my playlist is the perfect anchor point for that internal exploration. Each year, my annual playlist becomes the soundtrack I live my life in for the next 12 months. Like a movie soundtrack, each song speaks to experiences that will play out before my eyes. Looking back on playlists from past years reveals lessons I learned, insights I’ve made and still haven’t discovered.
There is something kind of magical about crafting these playlists year after year and revisiting them later on. It’s my audio time capsule, I guess. 2012’s playlist is loud and brash with songs by 30 Seconds to Mars and Florence and The Machine; songs selected to make me brave in the face of a year that would take me across the country to start my first year at college. 2013 and 2014 were joyful and busy years of new experiences and songs like Passion Pit’s “Better Things” matched that energy. I can never predict how a year will turn out when I make these playlists, but I let my heart be drawn to song after song until I have a list that I am happy with and wait for the meaning to come later.
Looking at my 2018 playlist, I cannot tell you exactly what it means to me, but I know that I made it in hopes of being more optimistic this year. A lot of people in the world seem to be facing difficult times and I’m no different. Life has thrown new challenges at me in the last couple years and I have been unsure of my ability to conquer them. However, I made a promise to myself years ago that I would refuse to be a cynic in the face of my problems and I set that intention with my first yearly playlist. My 2018 playlist is filled with songs to lift my spirits up even when everything else around me is down. With that goal spelled out in 18 songs, I hope at the end of this year I can say that I didn’t let myself down.
You can listen and follow my 2018 playlist on Spotify. You can also follow me on Spotify and check out all of the other playlists I have made. I’d love to know what vibes you are bringing into 2018, so leave a comment and let me know. Whatever adventures you face this year, I hope you’ve got a great soundtrack. Happy (late) New Year, everyone!