New Year’s resolutions give us the opportunity to make promises to ourselves in hope of self-improvement but we’re pretty sure that most us can plead guilty to making those empty or overly ambitious vows which we struggle to keep! Seriously how many times have you drilled yourself with this cliché…‘New year, new me?’

We suggest, why not start with your own mind?

Challenge yourself

Moving out of your comfort zone can be hard to do especially when we have to face the fear of the unknown, but you can’t expect change being stuck in the same old routine. Goal setting and striving for our dreams are great ways to challenge ourselves to step out of the box and aim high. Life is short so why not live it with purpose? Sometimes its not people that hold us back, its you!

Be positive

Face it, negativity is all around, but there is also just as much positivity, it just depends on what perspective you choose to look at situations from. Yes, sometimes bad things do happen that may cause us to feel pretty bummed about ourselves, but be careful not to get stuck in a rut – in other words you don’t have to allow negative experiences to define you. Aim to be positive where you can, if something doesn’t go your way the first time, try another route! There’s more than one way to skin a cat you know (although why on earth anyone would want to skin a cat we don’t know).

Let things go

You don’t need to be a doctor to know that holding onto unnecessary baggage such as strong negative feelings of hurt or resent isn’t a healthy way to live. It may not always be easy to forget, but there is always the opportunity to forgive. Most people assume that forgiveness is about giving the other person power over them, but in fact it is you who gains control because by forgiving you are initially saying to that feeling of hurt, ‘I will no longer allow you to stop me from moving forward with my life, so I am letting you go’

Be nice to people

Let’s be honest, we’ve noticed that a lot of young ladies nowadays find it hard to be nice to one another (like the media helps either!). Ask yourself ‘When was the last time I complimented someone instead of criticising them? Being catty is petty and we can make a habit of doing it so often that we don’t even know when we’re doing it. Treat and respect people the way you would like to be treated. Simple.

Have fun 

Life is to be lived! So many young people talk about ‘YOLO’, this shouldn’t be your answer to live carelessly, instead it should be you’re warning to value the one precious life you have. Work or education can be a priority for most of us, but remember to have fun this year and take the opportunity to do things that you’ve always wanted to…even new things!

SG Tip: Resolutions are helpful in motivating us, but don’t let a new year be the only reason why you want to change. To make changes we advise its best to make them sooner rather than later, try not to make the habit of putting it off until ‘the next time’.

(Cover photo & images via weheartit.com)