Do Not Leave Streak Marks In The Toilet (And Other Practical New Year’s Resolutions To Make You Feel Accomplished)

Oftentimes, we approach the New Year with hopes and aspirations of accomplishing the things we have always dreamed possible. We desire that fit body, clean house, mended relationship, decreased debt, trip to Europe, new job, and so on. New Year’s Day seems to be a time of dreaming and wishing, but not necessarily doing.

The beginning of January is filled with hope and excitement. However, as the reality of life change sets in, we tend to cease our efforts and give up on our goals. The most prominent evidence of this is the stark increase in new gym memberships during early January, and the not-so-gradual decline in check-ins and renewals. I worked at a gym for quite a while, so I know first-hand that this is a reliable trend.

We are all guilty of this trend. That is why this year I propose a new set of resolutions. I propose a list of practical things that we can do on a daily basis that will not only fulfill our need to accomplish a goal set forth by the New Year, but that will also improve our lives in the long-run.

I present to you The Be Well Place’s Practical New Year’s Resolutions for 2014:

1. Do not leave streaks marks in the toilet. Use the brush to wipe the inside clean. If you leave dribblets along the seat, use some TP and clean it up.

2. Do not place dirty laundry on the floor. Put it directly into the wash machine or get a hamper.

3. Vacuum the couch once each month. Be sure to get all under the cushions. Move the couch, if possible, to get all that dust that accumulates on the floor underneath.

4. Do not leave dishes in the sink. Clean up after every meal or least before you go to bed. Do not leave food on the stove.

5. Call your mom. Or dad. Or favorite relative. There must be one or two people in your life that you love very much, but take for granted. Be sure to put them as the top priority in your life and on the top of your call list.

6. Tell the people you love that you love them. It will make them feel good, you will feel good, and it will solidify your relationship.

7. Replace one TV show with a book. Turn off the tube and pick up (or download) a book. Your imagination needs to be exercised regularly or you may never make it back to Neverland again.

8. Give compliments generously. If you think your wife looks nice, tell her. If you admire how tidy your coworker is, tell him. If you really like a Facebook post, “Like” it and post a comment in agreement.

9. Keep your mouth shut. Maybe you disagree. Maybe you think it smells bad. Maybe that is not the way you would do it. Keep that trap closed. Knowing when not to speak is a far better skill to master than speaking.

10. Get to know yourself. Self-awareness is one of those things you just have to plow through and learn gradually, but it is so worth the effort. Take note of how you react to situations that are happy, sad, stressful, or neutral. Recognize your patterns of speech, action, and thought. At the end of the day, you are all you have. Your relationship with yourself is one of the most important relationships of your life. It deserves just as much effort as any other relationship.

Extra Credit: Each two pieces of fruit and four servings of vegetables each day. You will feel the difference after two days. Eating healthy makes doing Resolutions 1 through 10 much easier.

I hope this New Year inspires you to love and feel peace in your heart. If all you accomplish this year is love and peace, you have accomplished the goals of a thousand lifetimes.

Happy New Year, friends.

4 comments

  1. Linda says:

    I have printed two copies, one for home and one for work. I love it that they really are doable without much effort but the rewards will be tremendous. It is good to start off with humor and #1 made me laugh. #9 is a powerful lesson we all can learn. I love #5. Thanks for the insight and keep it coming. Happy New Year!

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