New Year's resolutions seem to come and go very quickly. Whether or not you accomplish your goals is up to you. Here is some help to make sure you set some goals that you can keep and will make you feel better about starting the New Year off right. So, what are everyone's top easy-to-keep resolutions?
5) Get Finances on Track
Whether it is creating a simple budget or telling yourself you should save more this is a big one. One of the easiest ways to keep this resolution is by getting the digital age involved. There are great programs out there like "Mint.com" and "You Need a Budget" that take all the guesswork out of managing your money. There are even simple rules to follow.
4) Get More Tidy/Organized
Everyone wants to stay on top of things. It is a tremendous feeling to walk into a clean home, work at a cleaner desk, or feel like your day (and life) is organized. Sometimes the best approach is to take it 15 minutes at a time. No one says you have to clean for hours. Just take 10-15 minutes out of your day to dedicate to cleaning or organizing. It may not feel like you do a lot in that 10 to 15 minutes, but after a few days you'll notice you have accomplished a lot! Keep up the motivation and pretty soon you'll be living a cleaner, more organized life.
3) Learn a New Skill
One of my favorite sayings is "You don't gotta get it right. Just gotta get it going." This is true for anyone wanting to learn a new skill like playing the guitar, learning the martial arts, or working a new position in their job. The hard part is we often understand where we want to be or how we think things should be. For example, if you're learning to play guitar you'll notice the first time you pluck those strings you sound nothing like Johnny Cash. Well, first of all, you have good taste. But, second of all, keep practicing. It's going to take time and effort to get you to where you think you should be and as long as you practice you'll start becoming pleased with the results.
2) Eat Healthier
Oh, Holidays, how you help me gain a pound or two...or ten. So, what to do? Well, eating healthier is a start. How do we do it? Get informed! The digital age is here to help us yet again. Do some research on the web on what easy to make healthy recipes you can learn. Eating healthy does not have to mean eating unsavory foods. There are many delicious alternatives to some of the fattier meals or ingredients. Big things to do are count your calories and start reading those nutrition labels! You'll be surprised at what the serving size and nutrition label numbers hide.
1) Start Working Out
The number one activity on everyone's list! I know what you're thinking, "He said 'easy-to-keep'". Well, I mean it. You don't have to goto the gym everyday or train like the Incredible Hulk. A lot of us, again, have that idea in our head of what we want to look or feel like, but see ourselves as being far away from our goal. That's ok, but you have to just start moving. Stop comparing yourself to Olympic athletes and start figuring out a routine that works for you. Doing a program with a friend is a great way to help keep each other honest. Don't have any friends? Join a class at Martial Arts Advantage! And, to help out even further...we have our Saturday AM Combat Fitness class. We can't make it any easier for you!
Now, about keeping those resolutions...
There you have the top New Year's resolutions that are easy-to-keep. One thing to be careful about is going all-in with any goal and feeling really accomplished for a short while. What we want is lasting change. How do you get that? Well, you have to raise your standards and change your beliefs. First, you have to know what type of person you are. Focus on the change, not where you're at now. You want to eat healthy? Well, now you're a healthy eater. House dirty? Well, that's not you, because you're a clean person... That goes hand in hand with changing your beliefs. You have to believe this is the type of person you are and, most of all, believe that you can stick with it.
Finally, the changes can be small, incremental changes. The biggest thing is making them consistent small, incremental changes. Drinking a glass of water instead of soda one afternoon is a small, but great change! The next day, make it two glasses of water. This idea of constant and never-ending improvement is going to change your life.
Now about that Combat Fitness class...