My Top 7 New Year’s Resolutions

I know New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad rap. I know no one “keeps” them perfectly all year long. I know that nothing is all that different about January 1 that you can’t do any one of the other 364 days of the year.

But I also know that having a holiday that reminds and encourages us to improve our lives is a good thing.  

So while they aren’t meant to replace goals (and goals are very important in life!), these seven New Year’s resolutions are things I want to work on doing differently next year.

1. Complain less. Do you know that the average American complains over 80 times a day? Really? That’s terrible! I want to complain about how bad that statistic is! Wait a minute . . .

2. Be grateful more. Gratitude is the gateway to so many other blessings in life: contentment, peace, joy, happiness, humility, grace, forgiveness, and on and on. Gratitude is something that you can’t ever have too much of.

3. Be right less. Not long ago, my mom and I got in a fight. And I was right. But what I realized after the fight is that being right accomplished absolutely nothing. I was right. So what? Being right and aggressively standing firm in my rightness did nothing but drive a wedge between us and make us both feel bad. When being right does that to my relationships, I’d rather not be right. “Don’t worry about being right. Just worry about being kind.” –My grandmother

4. Compliment more. I think nice things about people all of the time and I rarely say them. Maybe I just get busy and forget. Maybe I don’t think they care either way. But everyone appreciates a kind word. As William Arthur Ward said, thinking something nice and not saying it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.

5. Cuss less. Let’s just get real here. I’m an excitable person and when I’m comfortable with someone, I throw around a cuss word every now and then for dramatic effect. But you know everyone doesn’t always appreciate my drama. (Go figure!) So I’m going to work on that.

6. Look up more. Instead of staring at my phone, I want to look up more. And the struggle is real, y’all. I write about this all the time because I have to constantly remind myself. I get sucked into the black hole of my smart phone just like everyone else does! With temptation (other foreheads) all around you, it’s a daily choice. In 2016, I want to LOOK UP.

7. Judge differently. I’m like the majority of people. I judge others based on their actions, but I judge myself based on my intentions. It’s the reason I throw my hands up in shock and horror when someone cuts me off in traffic, but then when I just need to cross over last minute because I almost missed my exit, well, I’m really sorry! It just snuck up on me! In 2016, I want to switch that. I want to judge others by their intentions and instead give them the benefit of the doubt. And when I don’t respond to a text, meet my deadline, or show up on time for another meeting yet again, I will judge myself by my actions. 

So there you go! I’m putting this out there for the world to see, so I give you permission to hold me accountable for these too, dam . . . dang it! And the best part about these resolutions is that you don’t have to eat fewer cookies or workout more to keep them!

What are your resolutions? Share them below and join the accountability with me.

(I always love reading y’all’s comments by the way!)

Happy New Year, everyone!