21 New Year’s Resolution Ideas
A little bit of brainstorming to take into 2019!
What will you write for your the next chapter of your life? It’s entirely up to you.
2019 is quickly approaching and with the holiday season already upon us, people are starting to reflect and reminisce about the past year and reevaluate their choices. New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity for everyone to sit down and prepare a list of important lifestyle changes that they want to make.
1. Become more political. Call your politicians and write your representatives. Speak up and tell them how you feel. As we say at Ink…stop wishing, start doing!
2. Learn something new every day. Most of us have one or two areas of knowledge that we strive to know very well. While it’s important to develop a deep understanding of the things that matter most to us, it is just as important to develop a broad understanding of the world in general. One of the best uses of your spare time is to learn a new skill.
3. Adopt. Check out your local humane society or animal shelter. We’re from Wisconsin, so one of our favorites is the Wisconsin Humane Society.
4. Make healthier lifestyle choices. Having a healthy diet has a plethora of benefits. It can help you lose weight or maintain your desired weight. It can also lower your cholesterol and prevent certain health conditions. The choices about what you eat and drink matter. They should add up to a both balanced and nutritious diet. We all have different caloric needs based on our gender, activity level, and age. Being healthy is more than a diet — it’s a lifestyle! Combine healthy food choices with regular exercise and smart habits.
5. Learn to be happier with life. It takes time and patience to learn how to find the joy in the little things and not let problems bring you down. Try to find the good in everything…it’ll be well worth it.
6. Read more books. Books teach us how to think, how to relate to people, what to do, who we are, and who we should be. For the most part, they teach us how to live. The more we read, the more links we form and the richer our understanding becomes. Through careful practice, it becomes possible to draw links between different books, meshing ideas together to create new ones. Plus, it makes you more intelligent and reduces stress!
7. Give up cigarettes. I’m not sure I need to say anything more.
8. Meet new people. As we get older, making new friends gets harder. Sometimes our oldest friends can be constant reminders of the darkest days of our lives — start fresh, clear that slate. Let them force you out of your comfort zone and allow them to introduce you to new, fun, and engaging activities.
9. Become more active. If you’re like me and need a nap after watching someone jog past you, it’s important to start small and work your way up to more intense workouts. Many of us spend hours sitting down, practically motionless, either working, watching TV, or surfing the web…or multi-tasking and doing all three. This inactive lifestyle may have some undesirable outcomes. Active people are not only healthier but happier. Be active so that you can be happy!
10. Get more quality sleep. With all of the media surrounding us these days, such as big TVs, computers, smartphones, and tablets…it can be hard to get enough sleep at night.
11. Watch less TV. It’s opportunity cost is too great. With the amount of time spent watching tv, you could have been exercising, enjoying time with friends, meditating, enjoying a hobby, or reading a book!
12. Spend more time with people that matter. There is just not enough time in this world for us to waste it on insincere, toxic, and destructive people. Focus on the people who we care about deeply and care about us.
13. Volunteer and give more to charity. Consider what population you’d like to serve and then get online and research opportunities to work with them. Start a t-shirt campaign for free and raise money for the cause of your choice!
14. Travel more and see the world. There’s more than you think out there. There are mountains to climb, sunsets to admire, and fresh air to be taken in. Explore other cultures and embrace the diversity in this world.
15. Learn to cook, if you can’t. It’s an essential skill. It allows you to save money, eat the food you love just the way you like it, and impress others with your creativity. Start off with something simple, like pasta.
16. See your doctor regularly. Staying healthy is very important. People seem to be frightened of doctors and don’t go for a checkup when they should. Take care of yourself and call up your doc.
17. Spend more time outside. Take a walk on your lunch break, a jog around the neighborhood, or go on a hike this weekend!
18. Spend less time on social media. Every demographic has become obsessed. We need to disconnect and enjoy the moment, not everyone else’s.
19. Start being more creative. There are plenty of moments where we get mentally get fatigued and our creativity disappears. It’s good to do some exercises in order to spark new ideas and projects. Talk it out or take a breather and try again — it’ll come to you eventually.
20. Be more grateful for what you have and those who care deeply about you.
21. Give back to those who need it most. Sometimes all it takes is a simple “Hey! How are you?” to turn someone’s day around. Say hi. Smile. Be a friend. Compliment them. From someone who’s been there…you can trust me — a little can go a long way when someone’s having a bad day.
