Danielle Brooks Has A Great Way To Approach New Years Resolutions

As we close out the year, now is the time that people begin setting New Year's Resolutions that they may or may not keep up with throughout the duration of 2018.

While some people make setting New Year's resolutions a priority before the year-end, Orange Is The New Black actress and body positivity posterchild Danielle Brooks feels otherwise. In a recent feature for Instyle, she spilled the tea on why setting New Year's resolutions is not her cup of tea and her own perspective on setting goals that empower and give back to others.

“Dreams aren't achieved overnight; change happens in baby steps."

I couldn't agree with Danielle more. You don't go to bed on December 31st and wake up January 1st a brand new person and ready to conquer the world. It's a continuous process of self-improvement.

In the feature, Danielle also shared amazing insight on how she approaches goal setting, the importance of building a positive tribe, and how she will make the New Year less about her and more about helping others.

See some of the gems she had to drop below:

On why she doesn't set New Year's resolutions:

To be honest, a lot of my goal setting when I was younger had to do with weight. I'd often resolve to get under 200 pounds or be out of the double-digit clothing sizes. But as I've gotten older, I've started to realize that those superficial achievements aren't what life is all about. Now it's more like, “I want to be healthier and stronger." If I'm feeling powerful, who cares whether I'm a size 14 or 16?"

On making her New Year less self-serving and more about helping others:

I've also been thinking, “How can I make it about helping others and then see how it serves me instead of vice versa?" Instead of saying, “I want to make more money," I can take it a step further and decide that I want to work extra-hard and fight for equal pay so that the next woman who comes up in this field can make what she deserves from the start. Or instead of saying, “I want to run a 5k," maybe it's, “I'll go run a 5k to raise money for women who are battling breast cancer.

On embracing the struggle and the journey:

I had a teacher in college who, when we were looking at difficult plays from Chekhov or Shakespeare, would always encourage us to take it slowly. She'd say, “If you have a script or a monologue and you're not understanding A, B, and C, why the heck are you moving on to L, M, N, O, P?" That always resonated with me, and when I think about the next steps for my life, I try not to get ahead of myself and take on too much all at once. The journey is where you build your character. I grow through my failures just as much as through my successes.

On the importance of a positive tribe:

I think of my goals as newborn babies. I might need some friends and family to help me take care of them at first. (Though, just like with babies, if I bring too many people around, my dreams might get sick, infected by negativity.) So, when I put things out into the universe, I do it carefully and share them with those who encourage my aspirations—the ones who give me the boost I need.

Read more from Danielle Brooks over at Instyle!