Finally, we have come to the end of a year that has lasted several years (decades?). And while nothing has been usual or normal about this year, the age-old tradition of setting lofty goals and mighty aims for the new year looms over us. Yes, we’re talking about – cue the drumroll – New Year Resolutions!
Now in the past, we’ve all been guilty of setting the bar way too high with resolutions by trying to turn a 180 on every aspect of our lives. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing to aim for, it ends being a very steep mountain to scale; and an easier one to slip off than climb. And everyone everywhere seems to end up with the same set of boring resolutions, turning this already difficult list of tasks into a project of Herculean measures.
If you have nodded along to everything you just read, but still kinda want to ring in the new year with something to look forward to, allow us to suggest some fun, quirky and unconventional twists to the regular resolutions that will let you start and go through the coming year on a great note!
Without any further hubbub, and in no particular order, here goes:
1. Hobby circle
Everyone plans to take up a new hobby and most never end up following through. Here’s where the Buddy System comes to the rescue! All you need is a small circle of friends, family, coworkers, or even acquaintances who either share the same interest as you or would like to pick it up as a new hobby. 3-5 people are more than enough. Schedule regular intervals to exchange books, playlists, or watchlists, and find yourself on a journey that has you not only successfully engaging in a hobby, but also finding kinship in sharing it.
2. An exercise in creativity
Planning to add more exercise to your routine is one of the most common resolutions, but eventually, laziness and/or lack of time and dedication leads to this one being an epic fail. But with a little creativity, you can trick yourself into slipping exercise into your everyday life. Whether it’s taking the stairs, stretches in between while you WFH, or getting creative with “weights” that you can lift, let your imagination guide you to a healthier life. And for those who need that extra push, make it into a challenge that you could even share on your social media profiles.
3. Clean but happy eating
It’s all well and good when you plan on adding greens to your diet, but the ground reality is that you find yourself fantasizing about pizza while playing with that healthy salad. Again, you can make the best use of creativity into eating healthier, gradually by reducing your salt and sugar intake, adding pizzaz (no, not pizzas) to your salads by making your own delicious drizzles and vinaigrettes, reducing takeout or ordering from outside, and even challenging yourself to a new diet.
4. Go green!
While it seems like a daunting task to try and fix the environment, you can always start with yourself and your home. Making tiny changes to your lifestyle can have an immensely positive impact in the long term. Moreover, you will lead by example in your community, creating a ripple effect of real change. Try to avoid single-use plastics as much as possible, switch out to a metal straw, start composting, and switch to natural products that are made by processes that don’t leach chemicals into the planet. Whatever you pick, you can start small and work your way up. The best part is picking up any one of these would make an excellent contribution towards healing nature.
5. Drop the bad, pick up the good!
Habits. They make up so much of our daily actions and are notoriously hard to break. Well, like everything else on this list, start small. Every week, drop one not-so-great habit and pick up one pretty great habit. This will give you a week to work out the kinks, and you’ll find yourself on the path to being better, for real. And hopefully, by the end of the year, you will have 52 good habits that replace 52 bad ones. Talk about balance!
While these are some of the major resolutions you can add to your list for the new year, remember to take care of yourself. Fit in those pampering sessions, stay hydrated, stay healthy, and stay happy!
We hope you liked our suggestions, be sure to let us know your quirky new year’s resolutions in the comments below. Cheers to the new decade of opportunity and a happy new year!