If you’re like me your Facebook timeline is probably riddled with posts of people bashing those who are making New Year’s resolutions. They usually say something like this:
“People swear their life is going to make a turn when the clock strikes 12. In reality nothing changes. Who are they trying to fool?”
“I can’t stand all the “New Year, New Me” statuses. Why not change now.”
“Everyone is sitting there making resolutions like they’re not going to give up on them by February.”
“Why wait for January 1st to change? If you are really serious about it, you’d change now.”
While I agree that you should never wait on the perfect moment to change because the “perfect” moment doesn’t exist until YOU make it perfect, I disagree with the sentiment of knocking people who are trying nonetheless to improve their lives. Regardless of the day they chose, it says a lot when someone recognizes there is room for improvement.
Image courtesy of “FrameAngel”
All that aside, let’s not sugar coat the fact your attempts of saving more money, losing weight, and getting out of doubt have all come up short. It’s not because you failed to plan or organize. And it’s not because you are destined to be a failure. It’s because all your resolutions missed the bigger picture. All of the resolutions you’ve created in the past are all created in the hopes of one major thing: to live a happier, better quality of life.
So instead of creating all those roundabout resolutions that completely miss the point, I’ve taken the liberty of penning several potential resolutions that hit the nail on the head and will get you straight to the point of living that happy life you’ve been longing for.
1. Vow to do one thing that scares you everyday.
I know pledging to scare yourself on a daily basis is an odd route to take when trying to live a happy life. However, it’s one that I find very important. It’s completely normal, but we have a habit of settling. We settle when it comes to lifestyle, jobs, goals etc. The problem is, when we settle, we don’t grow and end up wondering “what if.” That is definitely not the best way to live a happier life. So I challenge you to scare yourself a little everyday. It could be eating a new food, applying for a specific job, or simply reaching out to a friend you’ve lost touch with. Whatever it is, allow yourself to be scared and then conquer it. Each day you conquer a new fear, the more you will restore faith in your ability and continue to grow. Besides, you never know what opportunities will be revealed as you continue on your own little ” 2013 fright fest.” Six Flags has nothing on you!
2. Vow to live simply
Eliminate the drama, the shiny and the flashy and what’s left is all that you need. When you consistently strive for the big and extravagant, you forget to be thankful of what you already have. Like my mother always said, “Everything is simple. We make it difficult.” It’s about time we get back to that so we can live blissfully. Once you vow to live simply, you’ll find your budget will finally take order, your health will improve and your heart will be lifted.
3. Vow to give a lot
The statistics have been saying it for years. The more you give, the happier you are. Be selfless, donate your time, and reach out to someone for no reason at all. Your heart and spirit will sing.
4. Vow to change your thoughts
Stop the worrying, the doubt, and the self-hate. Have faith in yourself and your ability to conquer all challenges. Remember, worrying does not empty tomorrow of it’s weaknesses. It empties today of it’s strengths. Once you change the quality of your thoughts, you change the quality of your life for the year to come.
5. Vow to trust yourself
It’s something I have to remind myself everyday. Stop second guessing yourself. You know more than you think you do. If your instincts are sending you a signal, just go with it. You don’t need to justify it. That’s the thing about intuition. It doesn’t need to have a reason to make sense.
6. Vow to write down every good thing that happens to you in the new year and revisit as needed.
Having an overall good year doesn’t stop you from experiencing a few hardships and struggles on the way to pure bliss. On those days, where happiness is at it’s peak make not of it and place it in a jar for safe keeping. Then, when you start feeling down again revisit that jar of “2013 goodness” to lift spirits and get happy once again.
What are your 2013 resolutions? How do you plan to be happy in 2013?
TERRIfic Quip: You don’t need to have it all figured it out to move forward.
I really like #6. So often we lose track of the good that happens by focusing on the bad. I think I’m going to try this exercise next year. Good post.