Rory Gilmore-inspired New Year’s resolutions

A few weeks ago, I was looking for a show that would lift my spirits when I suddenly remembered all the chit-chat there was around the Gilmore Girls Revival on Twitter last year and then I thought I would give it a go. And that’s the story of how I binged Gilmore Girls on Netflix and didn’t get any sleep in 30 days. But don’t worry, it was all worth it and here’s why.

From the very first episode I strongly identified with Rory Gilmore – from her ambitious personality to the way she would avoid Dean because she liked him. I actually realised that she was a lot like me and that she had to face the same challenges as me when it comes to making decisions about what is best for yourself, working hard to get what you want, putting a lot of pressure on yourself to be the best, being anxious about the future and your career, being afraid of failure, getting easily demotivated when you don’t succeed on the first try and needing to take some time off uni.

I absolutely adore her (talk about an ~unpopular opinion~) and I look up to the way she works toward her goal and knows what is best for her and her future. But while I watched the show, I came to the realisation that she became my favourite character for a reason: I see myself in her and she inspires me to be a better version of myself. And I realise that if I can relate to her that much then I can easily thrive.

Some people made me want to read (hello & thank you to J.K Rowling and my literature teacher in freshman year) and then… There was Rory Gilmore.
I enjoy reading but most of the time I tend to do what’s easy after an exhausting day: watch a TV show. After all it’s easier to open Netflix than a book. So I would go months without leisure reading because I was too busy with required readings and studying – But now I’ve changed. I have decided that if you don’t make time to read you will never have any. From now on, I will read more because I love books and my reading list is getting longer and longer. I will probably carry a book everywhere I go in case I have free time – let’s say in a waiting room or in the commute. I will also hang out a lot more in thrift stores where I can find rare (and cheap) editions of classics because it feels great to read a book that has history, an amazing smell and looks nice on your bookshelves.

Now let’s move onto Rory and her uni experience! I apparently watched the show just in time as I will be starting my masters next September and incidentally my last year before graduation. The show motivated me to make the most out of my postgrad year. And yes, I know that I always study too much, that I am an introvert and that I tend to stay in my dorm every night but I will try to change that. I have already started reviewing every master programme there is and I’ve only selected the ones that suit me and that will allow me to learn as much as I can in the span of 12 months. I will work hard to get into a good university, I will read a lot more (there we are again!), gain work experience in my field and take summer classes.

I also really want to have flatmates again and socialize as much as I can with them (you can blame years of watching Friends and New Girl for that!). I mean, Rory and I are really alike because I too made 3 friends at uni but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a great time, right?

Rory (and well, the only guy who was good enough for her – Logan Huntzberger) also made me wanna be more spontaneous and live life to the fullest because I don’t wanna look back on my 20s some day and realise that I missed out on experiences.

Finally, I’ve decided that I would do something that Rory does very meticulously and it is: pro/con lists. I’m at a stage where I have to make loads of difficult decisions (and I’m not very good at it. I’ve been crowned ‘queen of poor choices’) and this technique seems to be the perfect solution.

Basically, I’m thankful for Rory Gilmore – superbly portrayed by Alexis Bledel – and the only thing that I regret is that I didn’t watch Gilmore Girls when I was younger. If you haven’t watched this amazing show, do it, she could change your life for the best too!

PS: I’m wishing you all an amazing year.