Ideas for Your New Year’s Resolutions

Ideas for Your New Year’s Resolutions

We’ve reached that time of year.  A new year is just around the corner and it’s time for a fresh start and new goals.  Making such resolutions can be a daunting task, particularly knowing that it is more than likely that you will fail within the first few weeks.  Not to mention the stress associated with not being able to narrow down the amount of goals you feel you need to make.  This week we wanted to help you come up with ideas of resolutions you could make.  We encourage you to find a way to narrow your focus down to three goals you feel will be most beneficial.  As you make plans regarding how you plan to achieve those goals, keep in mind that you will most likely fail, and that’s OK!  Just because you messed up once or twice or however many times, you still have time to try again.  Don’t give up after the first stumble.  Keep trying! 

For those who aren’t sure where to start, here’s a list of ideas:

1. Set a goal to spend more time socializing.  For example, set a goal to do something with someone outside of your own home at least once a week, or even once a month if that’s what you can do.
2. Set a reading goal.  This can be anything from setting a goal for the number of books you hope to read, to planning to read more from a certain genre, to trying not to buy so many books.
3. Set a goal to be prepared for a marathon by a certain time.  If a marathon seems too daunting, set a goal for a shorter distance, such as a 5K.
4. Set a goal regarding your eating habits.  This could include eating out less, eating smaller portions, including more veggies in your diet, or even drinking more water.  Just remember to come up with a specific idea of what you hope to do (such as specifying how much water you want to drink each day).
5. Set an organization goal.  Perhaps there is one area of your life you feel could be much more organized, such as work, school, or even just in your bedroom.  Set a goal to organize that area and maintain it throughout the year.
6. Set a goal regarding your family.  Is there a family member you’ve been struggling to get along with?  Come up with a plan to try to better your relationship, whether that be working to be more patient, serving them, or simply spending more quality time with them.
7. Set a service-oriented goal.  This could be a general goal to serve people around you more (though remember to be specific about how you plan to serve or how often) or you might have a specific person or family in mind who you would like to serve.  Make plans to do so.
8. Set a hobby-oriented goal.  If you play a sport, for example, find an area within that sport where you can improve.  Or, if you have something you love to do but haven’t been able to do it in a while, set a goal to devote time to it more regularly. 
9. Set a goal to learn more about your family history.  There are so many sites nowadays where you can learn about where you came from.  Go online and see what you can learn.  You could also interview family members and ask them about their experiences.  Family history shapes who we are.  There’s so much power in knowing where you come from.  Try it out!
10. Set a mental and/or emotional health goal.  Some examples include being kinder to yourself, allowing yourself to regularly take a step back from the chaos of life to breathe, or even taking time to research and try ways to relax and re-center yourself (such as yoga or bullet journaling).

Whatever you choose, take the opportunity at the start of this new year to try to be a little better and check a few more things off of your bucket list.  While it may not go perfectly, you’ll feel much better if you try than if you ignore the opportunity.