2016 is at its end. Which means everyone is going to be coming up with unrealistic resolutions that they can't keep. Where did New Year's resolutions even come from? The tradition started with ancient Babylonians, they would make promises to their different gods to pay debts and return borrowed objects. If they succeeded in their promises the gods would bestow a favor on them the following year. Seems a little much to me. People always come up with resolutions they can't keep and then get upset when they fail.

Here are a few simple resolutions that you can possibly keep:

Read one passage from your Bible every night

So simple and it will strengthen your relationship with the Lord. When you are already in bed just grab your Bible and read a few passages. You aren't too busy. You are probably just watching TV in your room. Turn the TV off, pick up your Bible and just read.

Eat dinner with your family at the dinner table

My family is VERY bad about eating in our rooms and we all eat at separate times. Take the time to sit down with your family for 30 minutes and talk about your day, what happened, what are your plans for tomorrow, etc. It sounds simple, but I know it's not. However, just make the effort a few times and pretty soon it will become routine.

Smile at, at least, one person a day

You never know what someone is going through. A smile could change their entire day. Just a simple smile. It only takes a few seconds to smile at someone. Don't you feel better when you are walking somewhere and someone smiles at you? I know I do.

Pay it forward

Pay for the person behind you in line at your favorite fast food or coffee shop. That happened to me one time and it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I told everyone about what happened, it genuinely made me happy. You don't have to do a whole lot to make someone's day a little special. This doesn't have to be an everyday occurrence. Just do it once and if you like the idea of making someone's day, do it more often.

Find a hobby that makes you happy and stick with it

I recently discovered I really like to workout. It makes me feel better and less groggy. Try some different hobbies this new year, ones you normally wouldn't try and find which ones you really like and stick with them. Just try something new and exciting you may find that you love your new hobby and that it makes you happy. Do whatever makes YOU happy. Don't live for other people.

Read one new book every month

I know not everyone loves to read, but this could be your new hobby. You could discover you love to read. Reading is a deep love of mine. Books take you to another world. They take you away from whatever is going on in your real life and take you to a magical place where none of that exists. Reading also helps you develop better vocabulary skills. Reading one book a month might not sound like a lot, but remember this is simple New Year's resolutions. Read for 5 minutes a day. Whenever you have time. If you really like the story those 5 minutes will turn into 50 minutes pretty quick.

Don't let the new year overwhelm you. Don't get caught up in the "new year, new me" bull. Think of simple things that are going to improve yourself. Why do you want to completely change in the New Year? That's not a very realistic goal to achieve. We are all stuck in our own habits, but if we can make some new, better, habits than that's what really matters. Try simple things to improve your mind and body.

Happy New Year everyone.

Don't change, just improve.