As one who eschews New Year’s Eve as a holiday that plays up people’s feelings of fear and inadequacy, compelling them to fight these feelings with excessive alcohol and glitter, New Year’s resolutions are something I can get behind. Kind of. 

While I don’t exactly embrace the idea of trying to “start fresh” or “reinvent” yourself in the upcoming year, New Years is as good a times as any to focus on forming positive habits. When you’re surrounded by people complaining about their new juice cleanse or extreme workout regime, little things like consulting both CNN and the L.A. times instead just one news source seems a lot easier. 

Instead of Loose 5 Pounds….Try a New Dance Class

Sure you can replace your soda with diet, your whole eggs with egg whites, and your ice cream with yogurt. But you can also make getting in shape something fun. Sign up for an exciting dance class with your best friend, your fitness-minded classmate, or even your romantic partner. Sculpt a sleek dancer’s body and while having way more fun than you would slaving away at the gym or counting calories. Whether you want to stretch your cultural horizons with salsa dancing, move back to Gatsby-era glam with swing dancing or even tap into your sensual side with pole dancing, you will probably want to keep up your awesome dance skills long after your New Year’s resolution resolve fades. 

Instead of Find Love…Start a Journal 

Rom-coms, like nosy relatives, help reinforce the idea that unless you are coupled up, you are unlovable—and therefore horrifically flawed. As a result, society encourages people to search for love even more desperately. Yet, the more we seek external validation, the less “lovable” you become. Cruel right? So stop focusing on your search for the perfect man or woman, and instead focus on you. Carry around a journal—or a commonplace book if you want to be fancy about it—with you at all times to jot down little notes and tidbits of inspiration. Whether it’s what you’re grateful for, little things that made you smile, seeds of wisdom or how you’re feeling mentally and emotionally, you’ll begin learning about yourself. Once you know how to make yourself happy, you won’t need someone else to do it for you. Plus, chances are, self-sufficient, happy you will become a total chick or dude magnet in the process.

Instead of Change the World…Educate Yourself

Spend 10 minutes reading a book each night; visit a museum once a month; listen to people who think differently than you do on key issues. It’s far too easy to surround yourself with people who think exactly what you think and then scoff at the idiots who think otherwise; it’s harder to try to keep an open mind and try to understand where they’re coming from to reach a thoughtful compromise. If you need proof, just look at Congress. Overcome the natural tendency to think of the world in terms of those who are with you and those who are against you, and instead focus on developing compassion and empathy. Once you understand why someone thinks differently than you, you can ultimately create more meaningful changes in the world around you. 

Rather than simply creating goals because they’re the ones that you think you should have, think about what’s really important to you and then come up with manageable steps that you can integrate into your daily life. Integrate into your daily or weekly routine so that it becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth. 

 

Contact Executive Producer Sara Newman here. Follow her on Twitter.