There is a reason people love the New Year and the concept of starting over with a clean slate and a new beginning. And, if you kind of lost yourself this year, it can be a good time for reflection about what will and will not make the cut for this next chapter of your life.
The most important part about making your resolutions? Making them because you love and believe in the version of yourself you want to be, not because you hate who you are. So, here are some resolutions worth making this year.
1. Resolve to let things go. Let go of the resentment you have for your failures and recognize that every mistake is a lesson. Let go of the anxiety, the fears, and the heartbreaks that you’ve experienced this year. Let go of anything that made you feel like you weren’t enough this year.
2. Resolve to be healthier: mind, body, and spirit. Do this because you love yourself enough to know that you need to nourish and take care of yourself. Do it because you know that leading a healthier lifestyle will help decrease your stress and make you feel better as a whole. Do it because you do so much for others and owe it to yourself to take care of you too.
3. Resolve to take time every day to do at least one thing that makes you happy. Life gets busy and stressful and the day-to-day routine can get mundane. But, take time every day to make yourself smile. Jam out to your favorite song. Watch your favorite tv show. Paint a picture. Anything that makes you feel like you are in your element.
4. Resolve to cherish people, not things. Make extra time to go to coffee with that friend you haven’t seen in months. Make the phone calls that you’ve been putting off. Plan out extra family time to bond and talk about your day. Spend more time with people than things.
5. Resolve to always learn something new. There’s nothing as empowering as learning, and knowledge is all around you. Pick up a new book. Watch a documentary. Make it a habit to keep up with current events and the world around you. Listen and learn about life and the lives of the people around you.
6. Resolve to take time to make others feel special. When people feel appreciated, they feel more valued and more capable. There is a palpable change and a light that ignites when they feel seen and understood. Be that light for someone. Compliment someone at work on their performance. Tell a friend how much you like their hair cut. Let people know that their presence in your life has been a huge gift to you. Never be afraid to be kind.
7. Resolve to start sculpting a life that you’re proud of. If you haven’t been who you wanted to be this year, that’s okay. Have the courage to be that person in the new year. Appreciate the person you are, the mistakes you’ve made, and the things you’ve learned. It will all go into making you into the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Resolve not to give up on yourself and on your happiness this coming year. There’s a certain magic in new beginnings.
