January is when many of us resolve to make healthy changes. All too often, though, the resolutions we make stem from what we perceive of as our failures — not sticking to a rigid diet or achieving our desired weight.
What if we resolved, instead, to make changes in our thought patterns and behaviors that might help us lead a more fulfilling life? Rather than obsessing over and setting what seem like insurmountable goals, what if we could simply enjoy a dance class or a daily walk, without measuring how many steps it adds up to?
Megan Grant offers some interesting suggestions for resolutions that might actually improve the way we think and feel in an article she recently wrote for Parade Magazine. They include don’t gossip, give a compliment to someone every day, go a whole day without checking your email, read a book every month, go someplace you’ve never been before, clear out your clutter, volunteer, call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, and be kind to yourself. Other possibilities? Stop buying things you don’t need, schedule that dentist appointment or health screening you’ve been putting off, cook at home more, avoid people who complain, try guided meditation, talk less and listen more, and make it a point to consider new perspectives.
In reading the many things that come across my desk, I have come to learn that it is fairly easy to find wisdom in the most unexpected ways and places. All you have to do is be open to it.
Here’s to meaningful resolutions and a happy, healthy, and hopeful New Year.
