Now that it is almost February, most people have probably given up on their New Year resolutions. If this is the case for you, don't be too hard on yourself. Research shows that approximately half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions and only about 8 percent actually achieve them. However, even though they call them "New Year resolutions," it is still nearly the beginning of the year. So, if you have fallen off the wagon you are more than welcome to form new goals for yourself and try to stick with them this time around. Or if you hadn't even bothered to form a resolution in the first place, there's no time like the present. And if someone makes a comment about you forming your resolution this late into the new year, just ignore them. They aren't the resolution police.
In order to stick to your new year resolution don't just tell yourself, "This is the year I'm going to get in shape, be more organized, or spend less and save more" and expect it to magically happen. The key is to set a manageable goal and then change your behavior in order to achieve it. You must clearly define what your goal is to somehow keep track of or measure your progress, tell everyone and their mother what your goal is to get their support, make time in your schedule to work toward what you want — and to paraphrase from Chumbawumba's song, "if you get knocked down, get back up again."
Recommended for you
Here are some suggestions of (mostly) attainable New Year resolutions:
1. Get more sleep.
Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, your body will thank you. Try to get eight hours as often as you can.
2. Travel more often.
Go to other countries or states if you can, or just try to be more adventurous in the place you live. Go kayaking, hiking or bowling to stop yourself from falling into a routine.
3. Do things that make you happy.
This one sounds fairly obvious but spend more time doing what you want. Listen to your favorite music, create music, make art, read a book or play Scrabble.
4. Learn something new.
Teach yourself how to do something or go to classes in order to pick it up. You could learn to cook, dance, or even learn a new language.
5. Find a Mentor.
Learn as much as you can from a Professor you admire, get an internship working for someone who has your dream job, or you can ask for advice from someone who has already achieved what you want.
6. Make slightly better choices health wise.
You don't have to go crazy with this one, after all a life without cookies is a life without happiness. Make small changes like drinking more water, not eating fast food or cutting back on alcohol consumption.
7. Stop judging people.
Worrying less about what others are doing and instead working on bettering yourself will make you happier in the long run.
8. Save more money.
Choose an amount of money, no matter how small, and put this amount aside each week. Put the money in a savings account or just save it for a rainy day. An alternate plan is to stop buying a coffee at Starbucks every day.
9. Show people in your life how much they mean to you.
Take the time to let the important people in your life know how important they are.
10. Go for a walk every day.
Walks are therapeutic and amazing and anyone who disagrees clearly has never been on a walk.
