Happy New Year!!

The beginning of a new year is when many people set New Year’s resolutions.

Admittedly, I don’t usually set resolutions on New Year’s Day because I make resolutions all year long.  Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe not.  Either way, January is as good a time as any to think about positive changes.

Here are 5 New Year’s resolutions that will make a difference for me:

Get More Sleep
I used to sleep from 10pm to 6am every night.  That’s a solid 8 hours.  I felt great because I could get more done in the early hours of the day when it was quiet at home and on the roads. Since my second child was born, I haven’t been very successful and am lucky to get 6 hours.

I’m sure you have heard about many studies and statistics on getting more sleep.  I like Dr. Oz’s tips and website.  I know that getting more sleep will make me a more patient mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend.  My biggest challenge will come with getting to bed as early as possible because I seem to get up around 5:30 no matter how hard I try to sleep in later than that. If I had to choose only one New Year’s resolution, it would be to sleep.

Be More Forgiving
Recently my friend Patrick McGarrity wrote a book called 5 Big Ideas for Cradle Catholics (free download here).  During the writing of the book, Pat asked me to read and comment on the book, an honor for which I was grateful.  This is where I learned more about forgiveness.

Pat dedicates one chapter to forgiveness, explaining that ‘unforgiveness in our hearts hurts us’.  This means that when you forgive, you have more time and energy to dedicate to other parts of your life.  It’s a good feeling. There are several methods for forgiving others that are worth pursuing like writing a letter to the person you need to forgive and reading it aloud to a listener.  Think about being more forgiving.  I know it’s often easier said than done, but it’s so worthwhile.

Be More Positive
Having an anxious personality means that I often see what can go wrong in a situation.  I like to see this as good planning – see, I’m being positive here! Jokes aside, most things I worry about turn out just fine.

What I want to work on is thinking more positive thoughts and saying more positive things at the onset of a perceived issue.  A Mayo Clinic article talks about the importance of approaching a difficult situation positively from the beginning.  This resolution is one that has the potential to make life a lot more pleasant for me and for others.

Waste Less Food
Living in North America, we’re lucky to have almost any foods we want. Grocery stores are abundant and shelves are full.  There must be something in my childhood upbringing that makes me keep a well stocked, indeed an over-stocked, pantry.  Sometimes these canned or boxed foods expire, but the challenge lies more with perishable foods like fruits, vegetables, deli meats and cheeses, and frozen meats.

Reports show that Canadians households waste close to $15 billion of food. Our household definitely contributes to this amount.  I think that shopping for what I need within 2-3 days of when I need it AND buying fewer perishable foods is key.  Making less food at each meal is also important to minimize throwing out leftovers.  Although much of the leftovers get taken as school lunches and eaten for weekend lunches, I need to work harder on this.

Eat More Fruits
Eating fruits sounds like an easy New Year’s resolution, but I’m lazy about cutting up fruits and am picky about how they are washed.  It’s so much easier for me to eat vegetables because they are boiled, steamed, or baked clean!  Recently, I’ve been making a lot more smoothies with leftover fruits that I freeze.  According to a Forbes article highlighting a British study, eating 5-7 servings of fruits or vegetables a day reduces the risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or cancer by 35%.  Look for an upcoming post on enjoying fruit smoothies at home.

Hopefully I’ve chosen 5 New Year’s resolutions that I can stick to because they are common sense and will be worth the effort given the positive outcomes!

How about you? Do you set New Year’s resolutions? I’d love to hear about them.

Happy New Year and all the best to you in health, happiness, and peace.

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