2016 is days away, which means one thing, right? New year, new me? While there is nothing wrong with the typical New Year's resolutions of getting fit or scoring the job of a lifetime, sometimes these goals are hard to achieve in our busy lives, so when the new year comes again we feel even worse because we didn't achieve any of the goals that we set the previous year.
To prevent the year coming to an end and still feeling like you haven't done anything, and more importantly to make 2016 a year to remember, consider some of these simple resolutions that will have you looking back on 2016 as the best year of your life.
Write down one good thing that happened each day before you go to bed.
If you take the time each day to recognize something good that happened, your brain will begin to train itself to look for the positive things going on during the day. Along with that, you will learn to find the silver lining in every situation. Some days will be easy because they are good, and others may be hard, but if you take the time to reflect on the positive, you yourself will start being a more positive person.
Put aside a certain amount of money each month to spend on something for yourself.
Whether you are making loads of money or nearly nothing, by putting aside a certain amount to buy yourself something each month two things will happen. First, you will value the things you do to earn money because you know a part of it will go towards something you really want. Second, you will not be as inclined to blow through your money on things that look cool in the short run because you will have the month to decide what is most important to you.
Set goals at the beginning of each week or month and take time at the end of the month to evaluate them.
Like I said in the beginning, setting goals to get healthier or score the job of your dreams is very respectable, but sometimes leave you feeling like you failed if you cannot achieve them. Rather than setting goals for the entire year, try setting goals at the beginning of the week or month and come back to them at the end and see what you got done, did not get done, and what you still want to achieve. Setting short-term goals will leave you accomplishing many things by the end of the year and you will feel very successful.
Schedule time each week for the people you care about.
In our busy lives it is very hard to make time for anyone, but some of the most valuable things in life are people. If you set aside a certain time or day for the people you care about whether it is meeting for lunch or talking over Skype or the phone, you will feel a good balance and be glad you can show them you care enough to make time for them.
Schedule time in the week for yourself.
At the end of the day, a lot of the time we are so tired from trying to balance work, school, life, family, friends, and more, that we don't leave any time for ourselves. Whether you are an introvert and really need that time or an extrovert who doesn't necessarily need buckets of time, it is good to put aside some time to just be alone and do something you love. It can be watching your favorite show, reading a book, painting your nails, or playing video games. By just doing something for yourself you will feel that your life is in your control, and is not controlled by everyone and everything else.
Learn to say no.
Being able to say no is a very important skill, especially as you get older. I know it sounds a little
negative, but it is quite the opposite. Being able to say no means that you have your priorities and know what you can and cannot handle and are not willing to compromise that for something that may negatively impact your life. This does not mean saying no to everything just because you don't want to do it, it means learning to say no when you know the outcome is not worth the trouble it takes to get there.
Be realistic and prioritize when it comes to making plans, but don't be afraid to go out on a whim every once in a while.
Life is one of the most crazy and beautiful things, but we don't always have control over what is going to happen. By doing all of these things and trying to keep an orderly life, you will feel like you have control over your life, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't go against our plans sometimes. If opportunities that you didn't see coming present themselves, don't be afraid to take advantage of them. The worst thing to have in life is regrets.
Hopefully these resolutions will be of some help to you and will assist you in making 2016 the best year of your life. When people ask you what your New Year's resolution is, don't be afraid to say that you're going to make every day, every week, or every month one worth living because days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and months turn into yet another year. If you make each day worth living you will be able to look back on the previous year as 365 accomplishments.
