HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

New Year’s Eve is here!  Have you thought about how wonderful 2010 can be for your family, friends, and strangers?  Resolutions are a New Year’s tradition.  Start a realistic list and make at least one promise with a loved one to do something out of the ordinary. 

FAMILY RESOLUTIONS:

Agree to disagree. Learn to cooperate and compromise. Put yourself in your loved one’s shoes, and truly try to understand how they are feeling and why they are reacting the way they are. Think before you speak or react. If all else fails, make believe the person you are hard on is a stranger, we often treat strangers kinder than our loved ones. Try not to hold a grudge, and don’t allow it to upset the other aspects of your relationship.

COMMUNITY RESOLUTIONS:

Volunteer somewhere you feel you could make a difference. It could be a hospital, nursing home, church daycare, literacy programs, meals on wheels or your local SPCA. You’ll know what feels right. There are volunteer opportunities everywhere. Check the Internet, local newspapers, and charities in your area.

PERSONAL RESOLUTIONS:

Plan to exercise for 10 minutes everyday. Stretching is great for circulation, walking around the block is great for your heart. Not anything strenuous, just something to get the joints moving. Dancing and yoga are also good for your overall well being.

Read a daily devotion, mantra, or quote to enlighten your spirit. Keep a daily journal of best thing that happened today or one thing per day that you are thankful for. Meditate, pray or focus on something beautiful in nature. Any of these suggestions will do wonders to nurture your inner spirit and will also help relieve stress.

FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS:

Budget, spend less, and have more. Plan meals, shopping trips and make a list. Stick to the list and do not buy anything except what is on the list. Plan monthly allowances for birthday and special occasion gifts. Start putting money from coupon savings, bottle returns, or loose change in a jar for next year’s holidays. Have a yard sale and put those proceeds away as well. Cut down on your heating bills by wearing layers of clothing. Walk to the corner store instead of driving. Shop at thrift stores, rummage sales and garage sales for clothing, garden ornaments, and household decor.

But most of all, think positive, love and be loved…. and live every moment to its fullest!  HAPPY NEW YEAR to YOU!!!!

–Tara and April