5 New Year’s Resolutions We Should All Make

Some people make New Year’s resolutions. Some don’t. What’s the point? Often, resolutions focus on personal goals: lose weight, stop smoking, start a new hobby, learn a new skill. Let’s look at the year we just had and focus on some goals that truly matter.

Here are 5 New Year’s resolutions that will improve us, and make the world a better place:

1. Keep Myself and Others Safe. With a pandemic year behind us, stretching into the next year, it is important to stay safe and healthy. And, our behaviors, if done properly, will not only keep us safe, but others as well. What should we do? Don’t take risks. Make a vow to adhere to safety guidelines (whether you agree with them or not). Find activities that are safe to replace risky ones (e.g., getting takeout instead of eating in; online shopping — and a safe hike — instead of mall shopping, etc.)
2. Be Well-Informed and Fact-check. Instead of believing everything you read on the Internet (a famous Abraham Lincoln quote according to my Facebook feed!), seek out trusted sources for your news and don’t be led astray by sensational, but made-up stories. Sadly, a recent poll showed that a substantial proportion of Americans believe things that are utter nonsense, but that are repeatedly reported and shared in social media.
3. Show Gratitude Regularly. As the new year approached, I started a 37-item series of gratitude postings, “Why I love living in California.” It made me focus on the positives in a world of growing negatives. What’s more, it had the unexpected effect that many of my friends said that it made them feel more grateful and positive too. Nothing combats a negative mood better than celebrating what is good in your life.
4. Practice Random Acts of Kindness. We all hear about this, but how often do we actually do it? Make a resolution to engage in an act of kindness once a month or more. You may have read about the chain of customers at drive-thru Starbucks who “pay it forward” by paying for the next customer’s drink. Some of those chains have lasted for hours! But it doesn’t have to be about money. You can be kind by donating your time to help someone. Be creative!
5. Accomplish Something to Make You Proud of You. This is the “traditional” New Year’s resolution, with a twist. Rather than setting a goal for what you think you should do, look deeply inside and set a goal for something that will make YOU happy and proud. All too often, we set goals for personal achievement because others want us to do it. Do this for yourself and make yourself proud.

Riggioleadership.org. Follow me on Twitter @ronriggio

Originally published at https://www.psychologytoday.com.