New Year’s resolutions: who needs ’em? Every year, we make promises to ourselves that, secretly, we know we’re never going to keep. You know who you are because it’s all of us. Sure, we’d like to exercise more, eat healthier, work harder, and be our best selves – but fast food is good, and life is hard. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The only reason we don’t keep our New Year’s resolutions is because we’re not picking something fun.
What if you could look forward to trying out your New Year’s resolution starting January 1st? All you have to do is look at this whole resolution thing in an entirely new light. So, let’s dive into some resolution ideas you never thought of. You may find one that you can’t wait to try or be inspired to write a new one that is uniquely awesome to you.
Learn a New Language
Language learning is so much cooler than it used to be. With fun apps like DuoLingo (not a sponsor, just a fan), you can play mini-games and start learning conversational fluency in a new language without even realizing it. Chat about breakfast and shopping with little cartoon characters, play games, and earn points for a few minutes a day, and you’ll start to understand the language when it’s spoken (or, perhaps, sung) around you sooner than you think. Plus, it’s fun!
Do a Social Media Cleanse
If social media has become a hassle, don’t let it drag you down. Maybe it’s time to cleanse your accounts of friends, groups, and stuff that just doesn’t make you happy anymore. Or perhaps you need a hiatus from the obsessive conversational hustle of Tweets and Facebook Pokes. That’s OK, too. Put down the social media and play a fun game or chat with your real-life friends over coffee for a few weeks instead. If you like the feeling, keep it up and take a cleanse once a month or a few times throughout the year when you need to feel refreshed.
Take a Bucket-List Vacation
Everyone has a bucket list, but why wait for that drama movie diagnosis moment to pursue it? Resolve to take a vacation this year that crosses one awesome, incredible, unforgettable experience off your bucket list. See the Leaning Tower of Pizza before it falls, or take a zip-line over the Amazon Jungle. Or go on a tour of little bucket-list items like singing in a karaoke bar, trying new foods, or riding a roller coaster with your favorite people.
Learn to Savor Life and Practice Gratitude
Everyone is always going on about gratitude. The reason is that it actually feels pretty good. Practicing gratitude isn’t just about saying “thank you;” it’s about savoring life. Take a moment to think, “This burger is really good. I mean reallly gooood,” and you’ll enjoy each meal more. Stop to smell the roses. Snuggle into your favorite sweater and think of all the good times you’ve had with it. Your whole year will be richer with zero extra effort.
Take the Stairs
Don’t have time to hit the gym? Don’t have the energy for solo workouts? No problem. Dare yourself this one dare for your New Year’s resolution: Take the stairs. When you see some stairs, climb them. Take some stairs, from three steps in the park instead of angling for the ramp to a flight or two up to your office. It’s good cardio, and your glutes will look amazing after a couple of months of stair-taking.
Draw a Picture Every Day
It doesn’t matter if you’re good or if drawing is your passion. Resolve to draw one picture every single day. Maybe it’s a doodle. Maybe your inner artist will start to awaken as you draw. One day, it may be the best way to express your troubled feelings. The next could be a quickly sketched cartoon about a cat. Whatever, do your thing. You’ll get better over time. When you have 300+ drawings in a one-year portfolio, no matter how silly, you’ll be glad you did.
Practice Your Perfect Karaoke Song
We all have that one song we can be counted on to sing at karaoke night. And if you don’t, it’s time to get one. Pick one hit from the last 40 years of music and practice it. Belt it out in the shower. Look up and memorize the lyrics to every verse and that awesome bridge. Heck, put together a little choreography. When the time comes, when your friends are pressuring you to do just one karaoke song, pretty please… You will be ready to blow them away. Or, at least, have fun performing with confidence.
Purge Your Possessions of Useless & Unused Stuff
Do you have a closet half-full of clothes you don’t wear? A garage full of appliances and stuff you don’t use? Clutter you haven’t un-cluttered in months or even years? It’s time to purge. One of the easiest and, for some, the most fun New Year’s resolutions is a purge of everything useless and unused in your house. This is your chance to sort and reorganize. Revel in the joy of clearing out old stuff and putting together a really sweet donation box.
Learn 5 Easy, Healthy & Cheap Comfort Food Recipes
Cooking at home is generally healthier and more affordable than always ordering out. You can also throw together comfort food that is pretty darn good.
Challenge yourself to learn five simple recipes you think are delicious, even if others don’t understand. It doesn’t have to be your grandma’s cookbook masterpieces. It could be chicken and canned soup, a quick egg scramble, a little stir-fry, toasted sandwiches, or a simple potato bake. There are tons of almost zero-effort recipes that, if made with fresh ingredients, are cheap, healthy, and tasty.
With five recipes, you can make low-cost comfort food any time and even impress a date with a bit of plate artistry later on.
Start Keeping a Dream Journal / Learn Lucid Dreaming
Do you have interesting dreams? Have you ever wanted to try lucid dreaming? If the answer to either question is “Yes,” consider making a dream journal your New Year’s resolution. Keep a journal (or a journaling app) near your bed and record your dreams the moment you wake up. Do this for every dream for a year, and you’ll put together a pretty wild record of the wild adventures inside your sleeping mind.
Play Your High School Instrument Again – Or Learn a New Instrument
Most adults don’t play an instrument (anymore), but you could. Consider restarting on the instrument you played in school. Or follow your hidden dreams and pick a new instrument like the guitar or saxophone. Rekindle those dreams of awing crowds and making sweet music. Make your resolution to practice a few hours a week and learn some songs you’ve always wanted to play.
Celebrate Something Every Month
Find a reason to celebrate every single month. Celebrate your friend’s birthdays. Celebrate completed projects, the changing seasons, or your favorite little holidays that often slip by. Get a cake or make a special dessert at home. Wear a fancy outfit, just for the heck of it. It’s a reason to feel good and spread the cheer, so why not?
Make a New Friend
Whether you’re an introvert or set in your routine, your circle of friends can become static or non-existent over time. One of the most fun and challenging New Year’s resolutions is to make a new friend, or a sequence of new friends, in the coming year. Resolve to be more outgoing, share jokes while waiting in the coffee line, or help people when they drop stuff or fumble with a door. Start up conversations and invite people to have lunch with you. You never know if your new best friend or a dozen cool acquaintances are around the corner.
Good luck, and Happy New Year!