I’ve never been one to make resolutions, or at least resolutions that I can actually keep. I got married this year, and in an effort to somehow make 2014 just as good or even better (is that even possible?!), I’m setting realistic resolutions to make for a happy and healthy 2014.
(Photo credit: Health.com)
I read a great HuffPo article this morning, 6 Tips to Stick to your New Year’s Resolutions, which gave some great tips on setting and keeping resolutions, which I’ve included below. As the author, international yoga teacher, Kino MacGregor, puts it, “New Year’s resolutions more like intentions that you send out to the universe rather than a to-do list that you assign to yourself. Jan. 1, 2014 happens to be a New Moon, which is a great time to set wishes and intentions for yourself each month.”
Tips for Sticking to New Year’s Resolutions:
- Set Small Attainable Goals — Setting goals that are too far from where you honestly are in the present moment engages in all-or-nothing thinking which is a recipe for failure. If you instead set modest, humble goals that are not too far away from where you are today you will most likely succeed. Then the success that you experience at attaining these goals will lead to more success and reinforce your attainment of the small goals. The steady accumulation of progress will lead to even more success than you can imagine is possible now. Start off small and let it naturally build.
- Chart the Course — Take a moment every day to reflect on your progress. Write your New Year’s resolutions on a sticky note on your desktop and look at them each day.
- Limit Your New Year’s Resolutions to 10 — Don’t make a laundry list of things that you set out to do. If you have too many things on the list your intention will get diluted. Choosing only ten will force you to limit yourself to things that are at the top of your priority list.
- Keep it Positive — Focus on what you will do, not what you will not do. Often times phrasing your goals as a negative leads to more of the very activity that you seek to change. Instead focus on the positive actions that will supplant the negative ones once they are firmly established in your life.
My 2014 New Year’s Resolutions:
- Declutter. This one will be an ongoing process, starting with my work inbox (already got it down from 200 to 40 today!) and then on to our condo and life in general. My husband will be happiest about this resolution!
- Simplify the to do list. I’m admittedly a list person. I make so many lists on random Post-Its that, while I don’t forget the important things that I wrote down, my to do list can be quite overwhelming. One way of simplifying is to break down my giant to do list into work and personal, and then break it down even further to set realistic goals for each day.
- Try new things every week. This can be anything from new recipes to hobbies and DIY crafts. The point is to keep learning and exploring new things that entertain and make me happy.
- Document life. I’ve always loved capturing memories with photos, and I created this blog late this year to as another way to share my experiences and favorite things with others. Having worked with many bloggers as part of my job, I know it’s a lot of work to keep it up, but so far, I love it!
- Back away from the computer. Take a break from the computer for at least 30 minutes during each work day, whether it be a walk around the block, eating lunch outside or in a common area, or even simply cleaning my desk.
- Focus on healthy living. Let’s face it – I’m not going to the gym or eating healthy every day. But last year before our wedding, my husband and I decide to keep healthy living front and center – and it worked. I’m going to continue on with that in 2014.
- Stay in touch. At this point in my life, my friends have started to get married and begin their lives with their new families… with oftentimes brings them to other parts of the country. Social media makes it so easy to stay connected with others without truly being in touch. I’m going to pick up that phone and have real conversations more this year.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Share them below – and Happy New Year!