Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions For 2012

Do you find you have the same New Year’s resolutions each year?
Do you start out on January 1st all pumped and determined and then quickly lose steam, motivation and commitment?
Creating lasting change is hard; and it takes focus and commitment which can be difficult to sustain. Here are some New Year’s resolutions for 2012 that will bring great benefits to your life, cost you very little and give you the confidence to start achieving bigger goals.

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

1. Face your fears and crush your comfort zone

We all have our comfort zones but it’s important that we stretch ourselves both physically and mentally, on a regular basis. That thing you’re resisting, that ‘thing’ you’re scared of doing. That’s the thing you need to do. Challenge yourself to do something different and make it a habit to face your fears.

2. Get to know your neighbors and make new friends

How many of us really know our neighbors anymore? Getting to know the people we live closely with; no longer seems to be that important. But this is how safe and supportive communities are built, so if you want where you live to feel like a community, get to know the people around you.
You might find you make some new friends, and you won’t feel so embarrassed when you knock asking for a ladder, after locking yourself out of the house (for the 2nd time that week)

3. Learn a new skill, and for longer than the month of January

Whether its website design, crochet or dog handling, what’s that skill you’d really love to learn or become better at?
Make 2012 the year that you resolve to achieve that. Take a class, on online course; or put together your own home study. It’s not important what method you choose, it only matters that you commit to it.
A great way to commit is to pay up front, then make yourself accountable by telling all your family and friends what you’ve committed to doing. It’s a lot harder to give up when everyone keeps asking “hey ….how’s the guitar going, know any good songs yet?”.

4. Volunteer some of your time to a charity, and gain karma points

We’re all busy people with family, work and friends and the everyday domestics of life to take care of. It can be hard to find a little time for ourselves, but all of us; have at least a weekend a year that we can give to help a worthy cause or others less fortunate than ourselves.
You don’t have to wait until your super rich to ‘give back’. You can start today.

5. Spend time looking after you. Enjoy that 2hr bath, you deserve it

Time with our selves is important, but when life gets hectic and busy it can be easy to forget that and put everything else first. Everybody needs down-time, a moment to re-evaluate and recharge their body and mind. Making time for ‘you’ is not a luxury.

6. Clear the house of everything not used in the last 2 years

Our homes are full of stuff we don’t need, use or really want. This New Year’s resolution for 2012; comes in two parts. Firstly, go through your entire home and get rid of everything that hasn’t been used in the last 2 years. Unless it’s something particularly important, you won’t miss it when it’s gone.
Then, resolve not to buy any more stuff you don’t need.

7. Be more spontaneous and live a little (you know you want to)

Don’t you find you have the best time when you just go with the flow and trust your intuition? Yet often times; we fall into stale routines and ruts that we find hard to break. So start with small things; like eating something different for lunch every day. Why not hop on a train and discover a place you’ve never been to before. Just remember to have fun with it.

8. Make a financial investment. A new Apple product doesn’t count

….”Stop buying liabilities and starting acquiring assets”-unknown. This is great advice that we should all follow, but let’s be honest, we don’t! Make that advice your mantra for 2012 and start looking for opportunities where you can wisely invest your money. Do your research, get some professional advice if needed and start making your money work for you.

9. Do not take any credit. If you can’t pay cash, you can’t afford it

Cut up all credit cards except one. This is the emergency card, for use in EMERGENCIES only. A new pair of jeans is not an emergency. Make a plan of how you will repay your existing debt, and then make a pact with yourself not to take on any more debt or credit-for anything.

10. Laugh every day and look younger for longer

Laughing raises serotonin levels, it feels good and it keeps you young. Make it a New Year’s resolution for 2012 that you will laugh more every day. Life is not always easy; we all have problems and challenges. But we can actively choose to have an optimistic outlook on life and expect the best outcome. You can find something to laugh about every day.
Not every New Year’s resolution list has to start…
• Lose 25lbs
• Save $3000 (in 2 months) …….
We can take a more realistic and holistic approach to life and in the process; be a little kinder to ourselves. Changing bad habits and creating good habits requires consistency, and it can be tempting to try and change all of these bad habits on the same day. This is a poor strategy; as we get overwhelmed and quit .
If we take a more measured, long term approach to change and learn to stick with it when it gets tough. We’ll all be a lot more successful creating permanent change and sticking to our New Year’s Resolutions.