January 1st, 2019 glimmered with the possibility that our favorite celebrities are just like us. True, we weren’t all invited to groove with Drake or to dress up as our childhood hero at Taylor Swift’s themed New Year’s Eve party (if you’re wondering, hers was Ariel from The Little Mermaid), but there were other indicators of our shared humanity — like the New Year’s resolutions celebrities proudly posted on their social media. Yes, stars have goals and dreams for the year ahead too, and some of them proved both revealing and inspiring, like the ones below. (If there are other celebrity resolutions you’ve been moved by that aren’t included in this list, drop the link in the comments, and I’ll meet you there to discuss.)
Shay Mitchell revealed how grief inspired her to become more compassionate.
The Pretty Little Liars star opened up for the first time about her miscarriage, admitting that though her followers didn’t realize what she was going through, their “support and affection” during her dark time moved her. “We seldom really know or understand the struggles or hardships that other people are going through,” she wrote. “So in 2019, let’s all try to be a little more compassionate, empathetic, patient and thoughtful with each other.”
John Mayer vowed to be a more thoughtful consumer of the news
The singer shared his New Year’s resolutions on his Instagram Stories, and his tone ranged from humorous (“Get a girlfriend,” “Write songs about new girlfriend”) to thoughtful — like how he wants to be informed of the news, but not overly susceptible to the latest hot take. He wrote, “take in only what happened, not the think space around what happened.”
Amy Schumer rallied women to support each other
The pregnant actress, writer and comedian mixed levity with earnestness by posting a photo of her sister tying her shoes for her. She wrote, “Women, we are amazing and our love for each other is so deep. Let’s continue to link arms this year and move forward. All of us.”
Katie Couric is working on creating social media boundaries
The journalist and author shared her resolution of spending less time on Instagram, but admitted in her caption that it was short-lived. “Oh well, I lasted seven hours,” she wrote. You can always try again, Katie!
Bozoma Saint John extolled the virtues of self-care
The CMO at Endeavor who, in her own words, is “redefining badassery,” shared an intimate moment of self-care at her hotel in Accra, the capital of Ghana. “I have 1 resolution that I keep every year… and in true form, it involves pampering,” she wrote. “Scrub off the old year… massage in the intentions of the new year.”
Chelsea Handler is leaning in to love and her taking more career risks
The author and comedian shared that she’s heading into 2019 with newfound optimism and focus, and that she’s “learned to lean in hard to the people you love and to the people who love you.” She spoke about her journey of self-discovery, too. “I spent the last year unearthing everything about who I really want to be and what I want to contribute to this world,” she wrote. “And I shot a documentary and wrote a book that were both cathartic and unlike anything I’ve ever done before.” Then Handler urged her followers to “love hard and strong,” as well as to “dream big, go hard, and drink lots of water.”
Demi Lovato isn’t taking any more days — even the bad ones — for granted
The actress and singer, who was hospitalized five months ago for a drug overdose, shared a photo of sparkling cider to her Instagram Story with the hashtag #Sobriety. Earlier that day, she shared a heartfelt message with her fans. “So grateful for the lessons I’ve learned this year,” she wrote. “I will never take another day in life for granted, even the bad ones.”
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