Personally, I try to stay away from resolutions, a new year doesn't mean a new me and if I am slow to make a change in an area of my life a new year isn't going to change that, but in swimming along with the rest of the world, here are the most notable resolutions.

New Years Resolutions
ilovememphis, flickr
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According to Wikipedia a resolution has year long meaning:

A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year's resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings. People committing themselves to a New Year's resolution generally plan to do so for the whole following year. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous.

My interpretation of advantageous simply means that the invisible chalk board of life has been erased, giving you a clean slate for the new year; just like sheets though, you can change them once a week and still end up with dirty sheets on Sunday.

Here is a list of the top 5 resolutions, according to me :)

  • Spend more time with family and friends: life can consume you and if you don't make a conscious effort to do the little thing's like spending 15 minutes longer after dinner talking with you kids or making a movie date with your closest couple friends or a dinner date with your significant other, you may end this life with regrets.
  • Battle the Bulge: as sad as it is french fries have consequences, so instead of choosing to limit yourself to broccoli and chicken breasts for the year, remember to control your portions. Try a small fry and occasionally opt for the salad instead. Not only will you create a physically healthier you, you will create a happier you. And with studies showing the whole of us are overweight, by about 66%, this is a good change we can live with. (throw in a walk every Wednesday and see what happens)
  • Enjoy life more: sounds simple, but many don't know how to let their hair down and just enjoy what is around them. Enjoying life more doesn't mean spending a lot of money, it simply means to do more thing's that you enjoy or enjoy the thing's you do. If you find yourself doing more tasks and chores and work, then take time for yourself and do the thing's you enjoy most more often. When is the last time you read a book, went out for a cup of coffee with a good friend or just sat on the couch? It's time to get living!
  • Get out of Debt: this isn't an easy one and could send you running back to the couch, but it's not as hard as you think. Getting out of debt will take a little time, it's like losing weight, you didn't put it on in a day and it won't go away in a day. But easy little tricks can help. It may sound crazy, but one of the easiest and quickest ways to shrink your debt is to know how much debt you actually have. Spend an hour one evening or over Sunday morning coffee and make a list of what you owe. And then find out where your money is really going, I know that you may have rent/mortgage and utilities, but where is the other money going? You'd be surprised how much you spend on coffee or dollar menu's that are sucking your bank account dry. You don't have to give these thing's up, just cut down to only once or twice a week. There are a ton of tips out there to help.
  • Get Organized: I know, this is a biggie, I'd rather be forced by a killer Celery stalk to lose five pounds and do fifty push-ups! It's tough, I am a Virgo and not that I am huge into signs and what they mean, but I have learned that we liked to be organized, but rarely are. We are organized in our heads, but transferring that to our closets and cupboards is another story. Not surprisingly though, an organized person has the hand up on all other area's of life. If you take the time to get organized, you'll be happier with more time for relaxing, more time for family and you'll save money.

There isn't an exact science to this resolution thing, but remember if you fail at a task you wanted to accomplish, don't beat yourself over it. You may not have a new year to start over should you miss your goals, but you have control of your life and you can wipe your own slate clean anytime and start over.

 

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