New Years Resolutions
As we approach another new year, we are once more faced with that age-long tradition – making new year’s resolutions. We’ve all done it at one time or the other. Sometimes we follow through for days, sometimes months. Most of the time, though, we don’t make them at all, or when we do make them, they are meaningless. Below we’ll examine some resolutions that you can make that not only make you a better man, they also improve your quality of life.
Save More
You always need a little stashed away for a rainy day. We all know about the concept of saving money, but how many of us actually get any saving done? With a new year on the horizon, how about you take your savings a little bit more seriously? You can start small, save five percent of your income every month, and as time goes on, see if you can improve it. You’ll see changes that will upgrade your lifestyle and amaze you.
Bust Out The Apron
In this fast-paced world, we find ourselves; it’s not uncommon to always have to eat out. This isn’t a particularly healthy way to live. Start cooking for yourself. Homemade food is healthier than fast-food, and the art of cooking has been since described as therapeutic. Cooking for yourself comes with particular pride, and also it is a lot more cost-effective. What’s more, there are scores of simple recipes that anyone can make available with a little research. Make the kitchen great again with some prime cooking.
Leave The World Hanging
Life is busy, and so are you. That’s why every once in a while, recharging is necessary. In the coming year, take some time, have a getaway with yourself or a loved one. Don’t access the internet or social media and instead commune with nature and the people around you. This, more often than not, engenders a certain appreciation for the life you have and the people who make it worthwhile.
Learn Something New
There is a tonne of new things you can learn every day. If you live only 30 more years, and you learn something new every year, by the time you’re gone, you’d have amassed 30 unique skills. That’s crazy. So, this new year, resolve to take up something new. Be it something artistic or something related to your job, just learn anything. This would make you a better and more useful human being. It doesn’t also hurt to try something outside your comfort zone. Doing something scary is always rewarding. There are too many experiences in life to restrict yourself to just a few.
Read More Books
When we say read more books, we mean physical ones. It’s a fact that reading physical books is healthier for the brain than simply surfing the web. Read whatever you can; fiction writers, non-fiction writers, poems, biographies etc. There’s a story in every book, and as you read, you start to appreciate and understand the world you live in a lot more. Also, you will meet new characters in these books, people that will make you aspire to be better. You will also meet some unpleasant people in the books you read, and you’ll learn not to be like them. There are just so many benefits of reading, so get to it.
Give Up Some TV Time And Re-Allocate It
After a long day of work, the last thing you want to do is more work. So instead you zone out in front of the TV until it’s time for bed. But, what if you take just one hour from the TV time and instead use it to cultivate your passion? One hour a day makes up 355 hours in a year, which is more than two weeks! If you throw that into a passion, you’ll move ever closer to the golden ‘10,000’ hour rule for perfection in one’s craft.
Travel
Everyone wants to do this, and if you ask anyone why they haven’t, the most common answer is ‘It’s too expensive.’ Traveling isn’t always cheap, but there are ways around it. Use travel hacks, share costs with a buddy, save up for it and travel alone, or travel locally. A change of scenery usually does wonders for the mind and soul, and even if you aren’t going to Aruba or Belize, checking out somewhere new is always a beautiful thing. It makes you learn more about the world around you and also about yourself.
Work Better
Working hard is good, but is it enough? Sometimes the answer isn’t to work harder, but to work better. Working better allows you to appreciate the work you do and also use it to improve yourself. If you are a customer relations officer, try smiling more when you handle clients, you’ll not only excel at your job, but you’ll improve yourself as a human being.
