Resolutions Worth Keeping

There’s nothing wrong with vowing to lose weight or quit smoking, but as far as most New Year’s resolutions go, they’re a bit tired and uninspired, don’t you think? For your health and happiness, by all means put down the cigarettes and pick up some hand-weights, but in the interest of personal growth and feeling more connected to the world around you, I suggest you adopt these six resolutions in the new year, too.

1. Learn something new
Learning something new, whether it’s a sport, a recipe, a language, a game, or a hobby, not only exercises our brains, it relieves stress and gives us new avenues through which we can connect to other people. Even re-learning something you once knew has the same benefits. This year I picked up a Hula Hoop for the first time in over a decade and learned some new tricks in a weekly class I took over the summer. I had so much fun, I bought a hoop for my BFF, convinced at least four other friends to take hoop classes, and even got my 62-year-old father to hoop his heart out when he visited. Hooping hasn’t solved the world’s problems, but making sure that hoop doesn’t stop spinning can help you when it comes time to focus on bigger things.

2. Date outside your “type”
If you’ve been unlucky in love, maybe it’s time to readjust your idea of who’s right for you. If you got sick every time you ate an apple, you’d try other fruits until you found one that agreed with you, right? Likewise, if you keep getting burned by musicians, go out with a carpenter, a lawyer, a music producer. Often, our idea of Mr. or Ms. Right is based on superficial attributes that have little to do with who people really are. Go out with someone you’d ordinarily rule out, due to his job or his looks, and you might find a surprise kindred spirit.

3. Support the arts
Not only do the arts keep us from becoming complacent and stagnant, they allow us to see the world and the human condition differently and to understand—or at least question and consider—universal truths about ourselves and others. Get yourself to a museum, watch a dance performance, visit a local art exhibit, see a play or a film. Your dollars help make it possible for artists to continue doing what they do, and you may gain a new perspective in the process.

4. End toxic relationships
Life is too short to spend time and energy on relationships that only drain you. If you’ve got someone in your life who, whether through incessant negativity or criticisms, makes you feel bad more often than he or she makes you feel good, it’s time to walk away. Do a quick rip-off-the-band-aid break-up or a slow phase-out, gradually returning calls less and less until the toxic person gets the message and moves on. You’ll be better in the new year for it. -Wendy Atterberry

Want more great ideas for the new year? Head on over to The Frisky.