2016. Can you believe that it’s been an entire year since you broke your 2015 New Year’s Resolutions? Well, it’s time for new ones. Can you say yippee?
People are creatures of habit and so, just like so many years past, many of you probably made brand-new, sparkling New Year’s Resolutions for this year. We make those resolutions for many reasons, some for no other purpose than to at least feel good until we break them. And let’s face it, we do need any reason we can get to feel good: this is an election year and at least half of us are going to be unhappy with the results.
So what are your resolutions? Did you resolve to lose weight? Snicker. Love your neighbor? Snicker. Walk 15 miles a day? Snicker, snicker. Well I hope you keep them but just in case you don’t (or already haven’t) I’m proposing a few resolutions that you can use to replace your extremely difficult ones.
Easy New Year’s resolutions (mostly) worth keeping
- Remember to turn off the lights (okay, this is a personal issue coming from a parent of kids who haven’t yet realized that a light switch works both ways)
- Become a vegetarian (seriously, think about it). But if not that, at least consider eating slightly healthier food (why get carried away, right?)
- Drink plenty of fluids – of one sort or another. Do I need to spell this out? Thought not
- Get better at your job – whatever that job happens to be. Or, get better at searching for a job. Just never stop
- Be cool (yes, you can be cool past 19. It’s not easy, but it’s possible)
- Yes, it is
- Go somewhere
- Do something (yes, I know this is vague so it ought to be easy)
- Watch TV
- Don’t watch TV
- Read the newspaper
- Find a new blog (and pass this one along)
- Be grouchy
- Be grouchy some more
- Eat breakfast
- Eat less lunch
- Eat less dinner
- Do not confuse any of the above meals with eating hot dogs in movie theatres. That just doesn’t count. Ever.
- Kiss someone
- Kiss someone again
- Kiss someone who doesn’t like you
- Be nice before noon (it shouldn’t be that difficult if you try hard enough)
- Take a vacation
- Pay for the vacation (yes, this is harder)
- Let someone else pay for the vacation (see time-share promotions)
- Take another breath. I know you don’t need to be reminded of this, but I have a few friends…
- Smile at someone who doesn’t expect it (oh, go ahead, just mess with them)
- Frown at someone who doesn’t expect it (unless they’re big, have lots of tattoos, wear chains around the neck, and chew aluminum foil because it tastes good)
- Make sure your health insurance is paid up (see number 28 above)
- Pay the electric bill early (Gotcha! Just seeing if you were still awake. Ignore this one)
- Go somewhere that’s not in a travel brochure and spend time there. Meet people
- Help someone find something
- Stay in bed longer
- Ignore the laundry
- Ignore the kids
- Ignore your husband or wife, significant other, boyfriend, girlfriend or me. Heck, just ignore someone – you’ll feel better and after all, isn’t that what it’s all about?
- If you do #36 above don’t mention my name – I don’t need the phone calls
- Demand peace worldwide
- Work for peace worldwide
- Strive for peace worldwide
- Decide to do something you’ve never done before (vote!)
- Decide to actually have fun while doing number 41 above
- Be nice to your boss
- Be nice to your employees
- Be nice to yourself
- Just…be nice
- Don’t let the word “election” scare you
- Be glad you’re alive
- Be glad someone else is alive
- Go back to school. Strive to keep yourself up to date and relevant for jobs and the job market
- Create an electronic social identity and use it; make sure you know how to use all the important social media sites to your advantage (employers want employees to be up to date)
- See what’s out there in this great big world – and enjoy it
Okay, there you have 52 New Year’s Resolutions that might (or might not) add to your quality of life. And let me add one more: To do everything possible to keep guns out of schools. That’s one of my favorites. Care to join me in that one?
Happy 2016! I hope that the coming year is great beyond measure.
