Dear Reader,
New Years Day is upon us! This means that everyone and their mother is making new years resolutions. Some popular ones include, but are not limited to:
- losing weight
- volunteering more
- falling in love
- other resolutions that are very unlikely to happen
As much as I love the idea of starting new and setting goals, I think it is more important to think about what you've learned this year, or as I'm terming it, your new years revelations. If you don't reflect on what did or didn't work this year, then you're just going into 2016 with a mind full of dreams and no game plan. I suggest that you look back on the year and ask: what were the highest highs and the lowest lows of my year? (Keep in mind that not every situation is within your control)
A second suggestion I would give you is to be reasonable about the upcoming year. If you want to lose weight, aim for what is reasonable for your body size. If 5 pounds is all you need, then celebrate when you hit that 5 pound mark. If 100 pounds is your goal, then make sure that is a weight you can realistically and healthily achieve. Same with volunteering. Don't sign up to volunteer every weekend if that isn't realistic with your schedule. Most organizations would rather have a reliable volunteer who can show up once every other month than someone who commits to every week and rarely makes it.
Finally, don't treat new years day differently than any other day. Everyone gets so caught up in how well they did on the first day and that first day seems to dictate how the rest of their year goes. Let me tell you, I have had horrible first, second and third days of the new years the last few years both with my resolutions as well as unexpected situations coming up, but I didn't allow the rest of my year to be ruined by them. Instead add new goals that can be achieved on an everyday basis as well. Whether it's being more patient with a coworker, learning a new recipe or reading one chapter of a book, it's an everyday accomplishment that will keep you pumped up for the new year.
So with your revelations, resolutions and these suggestions in mind, I wish you a happy new year and a wonderful day one of 2016!
