I resolve to . . .

It’s that time of year again. Did you make a resolution? 

Have you resolved to improve on some area of your life? Are you aiming to reach a new goal?

In the spirit of lists, and easing the stress of entering into a new year, I have prepared my Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions, in case you haven’t come up with anything yet:

1. Manage money better

Well, that didn’t take much – we all want to get more bang for our buck, don’t we? I don’t think the intention is for us to just work harder on winning the lottery, though – perhaps instead if we tried that trick of freezing all our credit cards in a block of ice we could avoid some of those fees they charge us? Maybe the best thing is just to use cash to pay for everything - but wait, does anyone take cash anymore?

2. Better health

Does that mean we are supposed to get the H1N1 shot, or not? Should we sanitize everything with all those new wipes and cleansers, or is that going to ruin our immune systems against the next super bug that comes along? Maybe we should all just head for the hills, take up yoga and create a commune. Or, I suppose I could just start taking more vitamin D and eating more veggies. Buy food without any chemicals, preservatives or additives, that should be simple enough. 

3. Help others

Having just come out of the holiday season, we have the spirit for givinf. If we can keep up the idea of random acts of kindness, it should all be good. If you have children who are Girl Guides or Boy Scouts, have them remind you to do a good deed each day (no really, I’m serious!).

4. Take a trip

That would be nice. Again, the lottery tickets could be a big help here, but maybe it doesn’t have to be a trip to Maui or Mexico. Even a weekend camping or skiing can be a great way to relax and . . . (see next item)

5. Enjoy life more

This is certainly one time when I agree that ‘more is better’. Always looking to have that cup a little fuller is a great philosophy, and I think the best way to start is to remember how full it already is. A tip for you: If you think it should read ‘Enjoy life’, you need to put it a bit further up the list.

6. Slow down

This goes along with #5. It’s easy to enjoy more if you go slower, and not just when you are eating dessert. Not only that, but as my Dad used to say, ‘slow down, it goes faster’, meaning that if you relax and concentrate, you move along more smoothly (this is for all you who like to speed through the red light in traffic).

7. Try something new

This is a nicer way of saying that platitude, ‘Do everything one day that scares you’. Even if your new thing is only a food you have never tasted, what the heck. Your kids will enjoy watching the trepidation on your face as you attempt a new thing instead of them.

8. More time with family and friends

Remember, this is supposed to be a good thing, so start with the people you actually like, then you can apply your random acts of kindness from #3 for some of the ones with whom you don’t get along, and you may even find you like more of your family than you thought.

9. Reduce stress

If you applied my suggestion in #2, then likely your yoga is helping a lot with the stress. If not, reconsider yoga, or at least a few concentrated hums every day in your work cubicle.

10. Get organized

Didn’t we just do that? Now you’re stressing me out! Oh yes, and Martin says to clean your freezer all the way to the back where no one never goes.

Seriously though, don’t stress about the New Year. Take the bull by the horns and enjoy every day.

Or since it is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese calendar, perhaps I should suggest being prepared to just think twice before you leap, to outsmart the monkey?

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.