Everyone wraps themselves up in the excitement that coincides with the turning of the New Year and the newfound determination to fulfill fresh goals for the upcoming year. Undoubtedly, January 1st is the start of a blank page for many. It is a time to evaluate your life in the present moment and decide where you’re going in life, who you want to be, and what you want to achieve. With that being said, there are countless resolutions that are made time and time again that truly have no substance behind them. It is one thing to make a resolution verbally or in writing but it is quite another thing to actually follow through with it. Here are some common and extremely cliché New Year’s Resolutions that need to be more detailed if you ever want to actually achieve them.
1. Exercise More
It’s understandable that everyone has a desire to look their personal best and feel good. Not only does it boost physical and mental moral but it helps you focus on tasks you need to get done and improves your social lives. But let’s be real, simply saying you need to “exercise more” or “workout every day” for your New Year’s resolution isn’t going to cut it. In order to achieve anything in life it is vital that you create small, definite, and attainable steps that slowly help you reach your goal. After all, you have 365 days…what’s the rush? Whether you just got a new gym membership, want to try yoga for the first time, have a desire to decrease your mile time on your runs, or just want to shed some weight; put your exercise aims in writing and set small realistic goals that you can work on throughout the year to get you to the point you want to be.
2. Be Happy
As with any New Year’s Resolution, they are unique to the individual. What constitutes being happy you might ask? I was thinking the exact same thing. It is something that is not quite tangible because it varies greatly depending on the person. One thing I can say is that in order to attain true happiness you need to do things that you enjoy and stop trying to please everyone around you. This goes hand in hand with reducing stressful situations and taking time to relax. Learn how to focus on things you want and things you need to get done and know that it’s okay to say no sometimes when your plate is already too full.
3. Take More “Me” Time
Taking time to relax alone is crucial in my mind for everyone’s sanity. But what constitutes “me” time? You cannot just declare this as your New Year’s Resolution or one of them for that matter and not elaborate on what exactly is “me” time. If this just so happens to be one of your New Year’s Resolutions make a list of what counts as time to yourself. Whether it may be relaxing quietly in a bubble bath, enthralling yourself in a good book, treating yourself to a day at the spa, or lying down to watch your favorite movie in peace and quiet; jot it down and make sure to establish how often you want to take time to yourself.
4. Unplug from Electronics and Social Media
So many of us are constantly wrapped up in our social media accounts, phones, and tablets that we often lose sight of everything happening around us and the people that matter most. If you are attempting to unplug yourself during 2015 do not attempt to do so cold turkey. Electronics are a huge part of today’s society and they can certainly be a blessing and a curse. They are a key asset and tool that are readily at our fingertips when we need them but they also tend to overpower all other situations and interactions. Thus, it is completely understandable if this is one of your New Year’s resolutions but it is important that you unplug yourself slowly and yet again make attainable goals for yourself.
5. Advance in my Job (and/or) Career
Whether it is a large promotion, employee of the week or month, or simply a personal gain for your own mindset, working towards advancement in the workplace is always a good New Year’s resolution. Your job is a large part of your daily life and it is essential that you maintain happiness and motivation in the workplace. Make a conscious effort to narrow in on what you can improve on at work and establish those as concrete areas. This will allow you the opportunity to work towards refining small areas little by little to ensure over all advancement towards your larger goal.
6. Work Harder
So you may have had some moments in 2014 that you slacked off too much and could have worked a little harder, it happens to all of us. Now is the time to shift your mindset and try that much harder to put all of your time and efforts in to each and every thing you do. My fifth grade teacher always stated, “When in doubt, do more!” Miraculously this simple and short phrase has stuck with me after nearly eleven years but it holds a lot of meaning to me. Plain and simple it just makes sense. If you are ever questioning something you are working at and you hold a deep passion for ensuring it is done correctly than put in the extra time and energy to make it a success! Looking back, you will be thankful you worked harder.
7. Eat Healthy
This resolution never goes out of style. Maintaining a healthy diet is sure to provide you with fabulous mental, physical, and emotional results if you stick with it…key word is “if”. It is extremely easy to say you want to eat healthier in the New Year and it’s oh so easier to lose that drive in the first few months if not weeks or days of 2015. But you need to keep in mind that eating healthy isn’t about depriving yourself of foods. Eating healthy is about being mindful about what you put into your body to ensure you are covering all of your food groups and getting the nutrition you need. This is a situation where your electronic applications are a blessing in your life. Use apps on your phone that help you to keep track of what you are consuming to confirm you are fulfilling your food groups, calorie intake, water consumption, and vitamins for the day. Just remember not to completely exile that delicious take-out pizza, we all need to indulge in junk food from time to time!
8. Travel
Who doesn’t want to travel more? The idea is always appealing but it’s the time and money that seems to stand in the way. For most of us, college students, real jobs are in the near future and if we want to travel it must be done sooner rather than later…after all there’s no better time than the present! On that note, it’s time to take action of your dreamy travel plans. Make a list of the places you wish to see and the things you want to do. Laying it all out and making a visual will allow you to establish potential costs of different trips and determine how long it will take you to set money aside and save.
9. Save Money
Nights out with friends, splurging on unneeded items, and impulse buys are all fun in the fleet of the moment but when you stop and look at your bank account it’s easy to regret those decisions. In college, money is scarce and the little money that we seem to obtain as a fluctuating income quickly disappears. In order to attempt to actually put money away, it is important that you create a financial plan. Decide accordingly how much money you want to set aside for spending each week and put the rest in your bank account. This is best done according to your income and payment periods. Monitor your spending by keeping track of where your money goes so you can balance your savings and checking to ensure the money going in and out of your bank account is being utilized properly. Just think-this will help you save up for those travel plans you have your heart set on!
10. Volunteer More
Giving back to those in need in the community is a great way to kick-start the new year! There are so many organizations and people that need your help and a short amount of time can make a huge difference. The first step to volunteering more is to seek out groups in the community that fit your personal interests, values, and beliefs. Then establish how often you wish to volunteer to that specific organization or multiple ones. You may want to volunteer daily, on a weekly basis, or a few times a month. Whichever way you chose to work it into your schedule needs to be catered to the time you have available to do so.
I wouldn’t doubt that one if not more of these cliché resolutions are on your list for 2015, there are certainly a few that are on mine and that isn’t a bad thing. Each one of these are wonderful New Year’s Resolutions, but as stated before they are just too broad. If some of these are indeed on your list for the year, make a conscious effort to elaborate on the plan of action you plan to take in order to achieve them. New Year’s Resolutions can be difficult to follow through with, especially when they are too broad. However, with some extra motivation and attention to detail, there is not a doubt that you can make this year one of the best ones yet!
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2015!