The Best (& Easiest) New Year’s Resolution I Ever Made
Are you tired of the same old New Year’s Resolutions? Are you just tired? It’s January 34th (i.e. February 3rd), and folks are beginning to fall off the hamster wheel of “lose weight,” “eat better,” and “move more.” While I think eating better and moving more are great goals, they are tired goals.
Over and over, we collectively set these goals in January, and over and over, we collectively fail at them. If you really want to tackle those, you need to reimagine yourself in a way that is bigger than NYE (and you probably shouldn’t start out on the day after you most likely sabotaged all such goals, staying up late drinking and waking up hazed). So “eat better” and “move more” are for another day.
This post is about something completely different: the best New Year’s Resolution I ever made.
It went like this: Add more humor to your life.
That was it. I spent a week creating an Instagram account dedicated only (and I mean only) to humor. I followed every comedian I knew. I followed every comedy conglomerate I could find. I followed funny animal pages. I ‘thumbs-up’d Netflix comedy specials to train the alg. I watched Netflix comedy specials. I watched funny movies. When the choice came up about what to do, where to go, etc., comedy was first in line. And here was the result: an entire year of laughter and bringing laughter to my family and friends. And it was so, so easy. Because it was so, so fun.
There are a lot of things we need that truly are easy.
Togetherness.
Music.
Art.
Laughter.
Outdoors.
Improving a craft.
Quiet time.
Sports.
Creativity.
So why not set yourself up for success by choosing something good and that has lower barriers of entry for you personally?
How might you reimagine 2025 to engage and excite you?
Maybe 2025 is your Year of Live Music. The music festival is very sadly dying. Festivals all over are having to push pause or, worse, close down entirely. It’s a symptom of our increasingly digital, solitary, at-home-alone culture. So what if instead of trying to look skinny on a duck-faced IG post at your house, all alone, you decided to say ‘yes’ to live music, got out of your house, and shared an experience of pure fun and creativity with your community instead?
Maybe 2025 is your Year of Art. Instead of spending money on the next consumer item that will mostly sit on your shelf, what if you decided to spend money saying ‘yes’ to every art exhibit that comes up in your community instead? Buy a ticket and share the experience with strangers. Buy two tickets and share with a friend or loved one.
Maybe 2025 is your Year of Outdoors. Instead of scrolling through photos of fake-looking people hiking through mystical forests in Somewhere, Canada, what if you simply decided to go outdoors wherever you already are? Take a walk and listen to the sounds around you. Learn to recognize the faces of the neighbors who go outside as well. Notice the birds that live in your area.
Maybe 2025 is your year to:
Attend city meetings.
Visit libraries.
Learn history.
Read fiction.
Paint.
Write poetry.
Play sports.
Spend one-on-one time with your children, loved ones, or friends.
Join a club.
Sample every escape room in your State.
Go bowling.
Volunteer at an animal shelter.
Laugh.
Maybe 2025 can be the year when you decide to do something different, easy, engaging, or exciting, instead of trying the same old tired routine.
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