With the New Year comes a renewed sense of hope and a positive outlook. It’s also an excellent time to create year-long goals and resolutions for yourself. However, while it’s great to be ambitious, it’s sometimes more realistic to set attainable goals. From taking baby steps on a larger accomplishment to small everyday activities that can make you feel confident, there’s no shortage of ideas. You just have to know where to look. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered!
Whether it’s breaking out of your comfort zone and trying new things, donating time to volunteer or nurturing a plant or pet, here are 13 doable New Year’s resolutions that can help create a new you.
1. Prioritize Your Beauty Routine for Better Confidence
This year, make a point to prioritize your beauty routine. Gals and guys alike can take advantage of skincare regimens and other cosmetic applications, boosting confidence. For example, you can whiten teeth for a more radiant smile using a teeth whitening toothbrush. Children, especially, need a boost of confidence around their schoolmates, so even they can benefit from a cleaner mouth and proper oral care. Kids need convincing? Check out the Baby BLU Sonic Toothbrush that offers an interactive, hands-free experience they’re sure to love.
2. Learn Something New
This year, learn something you’ve always wanted to know more about. Learn a new language for an upcoming trip or learn how to play the drums. It can be practically anything! You can also learn how to cook a favorite dish or learn how to meditate. Just remember that retaining any knowledge takes perseverance and practice.
3. Set a Realistic Fitness Goal
One of the biggest New Year’s resolutions people make is to lose weight. However, many fall into a trap of setting unrealistic goals, crashing and burning and eventually giving up. The trick is to set realistic fitness goals instead. From eating more veggies to running a mile each day, start small and take baby steps, eliminating the pressure.
4. Plan a Trip
Start planning a trip so you can finally escape! Using sites like Pinterest and Tripadvisor, gather inspiration and research areas you want to visit. Whether it’s a far-off destination or a cross-country road trip, there’s no time like the present to consider broadening your horizons and planning a trip.
5. Keep a Gratitude or Memory Journal
This year, keep a journal and try to write in it every day. Wondering what to write in your journal? Well, it can be anything from things you are grateful for, like ice cream flavors or loved ones. It can also be pleasant memories from the day or week, which you can reflect on later at the end of the year. Recording your memories and listing gratitudes can give you a more positive mindset and even relieve anxiety, so give it a try.
6. Research Family History and Make a Family Tree
Ever wonder who your ancestors were? Well, maybe this is the year to dive in and research your family history. From sites like Ancestry.com, FamilySearch and even the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, you can learn about where you came from. Once you do, you can begin to build a family tree and keep track of your legacy.
7. Nurture a House Plant
Studies have shown that house plants can improve not only our indoor air quality but also our well-being. Nurturing plants, even in a garden, can help reduce stress, offer physical activity and just generally improve our quality of life.
8. Adopt a Pet
Looking for more than just a house plant to nurture? Adopt a pet from your local animal shelter, giving them a forever home. Pets have also been proven to improve our quality of life and offer many benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pets promote exercise and decrease blood pressure and even cholesterol levels. However, just be sure to keep the pet’s quality of life in mind, too, and choose the best pet for you and your family’s lifestyle.
9. Improve Your Sleep
Getting adequate sleep can improve your mental and physical health in so many ways. It’s also one of the most manageable New Year’s resolutions you can make. Start with small changes like unplugging from devices an hour before bed and drinking a soothing chamomile tea. Before long, you’ll sleep deeply the whole night through and wake up refreshed.
10. Do Something That Scares You
We’re not talking death-defying stunts here. But simply try to do one thing this year that scares you. Pushing yourself to attempt things beyond your comfort level and zone can make you more confident overall. It doesn’t have to be your deepest, existential fears. Simply ordering a new never-before-tried dish might be enough to break you out of that comfort zone you’ve grown so used to.
11. Clean the House and Donate
A new year means a new you. But it can also mean a new house. Or, at least, a newish feeling. Don’t wait until spring. Give your home a cleaning while you’re stuck indoors. It’s one of the most doable resolutions you can make. Plus, while you’re sifting through rooms and decluttering, box up unused items and donate them to a local thrift store so that someone else can enjoy them.
12. Volunteer Your Time
Speaking of donating, one easy New Year’s resolution you can make is to donate your time. Seek out organizations in your town and give back to your community. Whether it’s assisting Meals on Wheels or a local animal shelter, setting aside one day a month or week will make you feel good and help others as well.
13. Explore Your Own Backyard
We tend to explore more when we’re on vacation, right? But what about seeing the sights in the place where you live? Get out more and explore nearby towns and sights through a local tour group. While you probably once considered these places “touristy,” you might be pleasantly surprised what exists in your own backyard.
Ready for the new year? Pick a few of these straightforward and doable resolutions and take it one day at a time.
