Seven New Years Resolutions You Should Keep

I was talking to my brother on New Year’s day and the inevitable question, “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” came up.  I vowed that this year I would lose the 20 pounds that I gained when I quit smoking (which was LAST year’s resolution).  He said that he was going to use his New Year’s waiver and would think about what he wanted to do for the next 31 days before committing.  I was completely unaware that there was such a thing as a New Year’s waiver – but he assures me that it flashes across the screen subliminal-message style when the ball drops on TV at midnight.  I have no proof that this isn’t the case, and so I’ll check up with him early in February to see if he’s made up his mind yet. 

If you also are having difficulty finding your New Year’s resolution, here are some suggestions that I came up with that he and everyone else should do at least once.

1. Give someone in need something they don’t expect when they don’t expect it.
Every year at about November 15th the people ringing bells for change show up outside every store-front, cards come in the mail requesting donations for various causes, and toy collection barrels line the entry way of various businesses.  For about 6 weeks of the year, everyone feels like giving a little something – which is great, don’t get me wrong.  But what about the other 46 weeks of the year?  This year, break the mold and do something great for your favorite group or charity not out of holiday obligation, but just because you feel like it.  Volunteer for a day of neighborhood clean-up, delivery of meals for the disabled, fundraising for your favorite charity or reading at a local school.  Remember that groups are often short-handed and under-funded year round – not just during the holiday push.  Bonus for you: you will get to meet new people, and get to feel appreciated just for being you and showing up.

2. Call one family member one day a week.
Does someone in your family utter the phrase, “Why don’t you call more often” EVERY time you happen to remember to call or bump into them at a family reunion?  You are not alone.  For those of us with more than one or two family members who are tolerable (or even like-able under some circumstances) it is very easy to feel like there isn’t time to call everyone on the family tree.  I myself am guilty of neglecting to remember to call my Grandma S., Aunt B. and Cousin L. and pay the price every time I do end up talking to them at some family function.  It’s not that I don’t love each of them, or that the sound of their voice causes me emotional distress. It’s simply that when I sit down to make the telephone rounds I don’t have time to talk to EVERYONE about my latest ventures.  So, a simple fix – make one phone call to one relative once a week and suddenly you will become every one’s favorite.  Bonus for you: you will end up being the one in the know about all the family gossip and will also find yourself receiving fewer ceramic garden gnomes and more personal gifts during the holidays next year.