
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? I read an article recently titled “Top ten New Year’s resolutions.” So, in case you haven’t come up with anything yet, here are a few suggestions to get you started:
1. Manage money better
Well, that didn’t take much to come up with. 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 win the lottery, though, perhaps, 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
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. I suppose I could just start taking more vitamin D and eating more veggies. How about if we just resolve to move a bit more in between meals?
3. Help others
Having just come out of the holiday season, we have the spirit for giving. 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 of doing a good deed each day. And for those of us without kids, let’s use our pets as examples – you know, dogs are always sharing good vibes with everyone and cats are just content being themselves.
4. Take a trip
That would be nice. Again, a lottery win would be a big help here. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a trip to Maui or Mexico. Even a weekend away camping or skiing can be a great way to relax.
5. Enjoy life more
This is certainly one time when I agree that “more is better.” Always looking to have that cup a little more full 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 this expression should be “Enjoy life”, you need to put it a bit further up the list.)
6. Slow down
This goes right along with No. 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 if you relax and concentrate, you move along more smoothly. (This is for all you people who like to speed to 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. That way you can apply your random acts of kindness from No. 3 for some of the ones you don’t get along with and you may even find you like more of your family than you thought.
9. Reduce stress
If you applied my suggestion in No. 2, then likely 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 (my husband) Martin says clean your freezer all the way to the back, where no one never goes.
Perhaps the biggest thing we hear is to reduce stress. Did you know that the word “resolution” comes from an Italian word, “resolvere,” meaning “to loosen, relax”. How about we loosen our expectations of doing everything or improving in leaps and bounds and we just focus on starting something good or improving one thing at a time?
I wish you a happy, relaxed new year.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.