Are New Year’s goals BS resolutions or real life solutions? Every year people count down those last 10 seconds before the clock hands (those long pointy things that circle the numbers to dictate the hours and minutes on old timey clocks) strike midnight on December 31st. It’s been a tradition to stay up, have a glass of bubbly, watch the ball drop, have a New Year kiss, and welcome the New Year with a new plan for a “new you”. The term “clock hands” has come and gone, but has the time honored tradition of New Year’s resolutions gone out like a baby with the bath water (another old timey saying)?
It was definitely cringe AF to say “New Year New Me” when January 1st 2023 came, and inevitably the terms “cringe” and “AF” will meet the same linguistic fate and be a blip in history like those old clock hands. Certain traditions will inevitably become a moment in time, and as every generation adopts or exiles vocabulary and traditions, where does the idea of New Year’s resolutions stand as we approach New Year 2024? Will this NYE have a same hold on the collective sentient experience? Or, is that too, a thing of yesterday?
While our language may be ever evolving, our wants and desires seem to remain the same come the New Year. For decades the top 2 leaders on the board of New Year resolutions have been to have better control over our bodies and our wallets. While most of us have often placed the longing for betterment in the areas of diet and finances as priority at this time of year, it would seem that happiness is joining those ideals with some serious competitive spirit. They do seem inexplicably intertwined after all. Who among us hasn’t had the thought that if we met a certain physical or fiscal goal that we would suddenly be happy.? Sure, being fit and financially sound could bring feelings of happiness, but figures don’t last forever. Happieness, much like our weight and wallet, are constantly in a fluid state. You nurture your body and your wallet, and your happiness is no different. Here are our top 4 ideas to start nurturing your happiness in 2024.
Journaling is such a great way to organize your thoughts and emotions. Sometimes when you allow yourself the ability to speak freely you can confront your thoughts and feelings in a safe place. You’re also documenting your journey which allows you not only to reflect in the moment but also later down the road. It gives you the opportunity to look back at how far you have come and to recognize if you are stuck and how to plan a course of action.
This could be to a friend or a professional depending on where you are and what is going on in your own personal situation. While some of us need to recharge alone and don’t need to talk ALL the time, fostering communication and connection can do the spirit wonders.
— Number 3
Diet and exercise
Diet and exercise – Yes this is a cliche, but we all know that it can be beneficial when the goal’s intention is health over appearance. We all want to look good, but you can jump the shark when you focus on the vehicles paint job and not the engine performance. Exercise could be anything from yoga to learning a TikTok dance. Not everyone wants to (or can) run or do dead lifts. Move to the best of your ability. Find something that works that is active… whatever works for YOU. Sometimes even a simple stroll can change your headspace. Diet and exercise will not solve everything but it can propel you into a more positive headspace.
Meditation – Cliche #2. Meditation doesn’t always mean sitting pretzel legged with your hands on your lap, palms to the sky. It could be sitting in the shower letting the water rain on you in silence for a few minutes. It could be laying your head down on your desk. Meditation is taking time however it works for you to just be still.
We all seek to be the best version of ourselves. We are constantly evaluating and taking inventory of our own personal and spiritual stock/crypto/currency. Much like slang (do we still call the evolution of words that?) the root or meaning of something remains the same even if we call it something different. We are all individuals who are doing things on our own terms and in our own way. Maybe your New Year is actually YOUR new year… like your birthday. Maybe your new year is tomorrow or maybe even today. Whatever defines YOUR New Year’s resolutions, there is so much power in setting a date, stating what your goals are, and defining how YOU want to change or accomplish them. It doesn’t have to be January 1st of 2024. Wether it’s January 1st, your birthday, or even tomorrow, your new year or New Year resolutions can start now.
