It seems the old tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions has gone out the window. Only 20 per cent of people who voted in our poll last week said they had made one.
I find this a little sad. I like the idea of starting a New Year with a new outlook and with new goals, however small. It’s a chance to think about the year that’s finished, and work out how to make the next one a little better.
I usually try to avoid setting myself goals that are destined to fail – losing weight seems to be a popular resolution that more often than not isn’t met. Or goals that I don’t have plans on how to meet, such as, “I want to make more money in 2012!” when I have no idea at all how I am going to achieve that.
My resolutions usually involve simple things that are easily done, such as smiling at strangers because I know that when someone I don’t know smiles at me, it makes my day a little brighter. Or paying somebody a compliment every day, for the same reason. Or making peace with people I have fallen out with in the past. These are resolutions I can stick to, and will not only make me feel good, but hopefully other people too.
My friend started his New Year off by buying a stranger a coffee. We were waiting in line at the coffee house, and suddenly my friend turned around and asked the man behind us what he would like. The man seemed a little unnerved, like he didn’t know what the catch was. Once he had realised there was no catch, he was taken aback by such a random act of kindness. Hopefully it made his day, and hopefully he went on to do something nice for a stranger as a result.
Think about what a great place this would be if everybody adopted the same resolutions. We would all be walking around smiling at each other, telling each other how great we are and buying each other coffees. Who wouldn’t want to live in a community like that?
It’s not too late to make a resolution. Make 2012 even better than 2011, for yourself and those around you.