New Years Resolutions

Okay, I was a bit enthusiastic. With last year (oh my gosh, it's already 2016), I had four ongoing reading challenges, and I failed three like a kiwi trying to fly, and managed to 'complete' (to a personal degree) the fourth like a chubby baby sparrow learning to fly and only getting a metre or two away (but hey, it's at least that much!). I started the year with so much enthusiasm, and it quickly dwindled - but never fear.

It's 2016 now, and that can-do attitude is back. Aim for something realistic like sensible minded people? Folly! That's not what MY resolutions are about! It's about trying to do something you wouldn't think you could - I would even say that failing is a part of the process (do I sound like a sore loser yet?).
Where's the fun in saying, 'Well, I did it!' and rubbing it in your friends faces at the end of the year?*

So I've gathered some books that have helped me hone my new 2016 resolutions -

Be nice

Everyone aspires to be a better person (hopefully), and I am no different. That's why A Year of Doing Good is fantastic inspiration to help anyone start doing so.
On January 1st, Judith o'Reilly declares that every day for the next year, she will do a good deed. For the next twelve months, she tries her damndest to keep to it, even when she is in no mood to be helping anyone other than herself.

This is a fun, uplifting (though of course, sad at times) book about the modern woman (read: modern as in completely out of her mind under pressure, full of faults, trying to do a million things, not 'modern' like completely organized and can perfectly fit one good deed in every day, before 3pm in time for her afternoon tea) trying to be good, whether the people she's helping like it or not.
Judith is an inspiration to all good-deed resolutioners (it's a word, promise) everywhere.

Learn something

A (new) addition to my bucket list is to complete the Shikoku Henro Michi pilgrimage in Japan.
It's a lot of walking - about 1,200 kilometers (the North Island here is about 830 km long, to give you an idea) - in one of the more rural parts of Japan, so I have a feeling English won't be much use to me there.
This goal would be infinitely easier if I was able to speak Japanese!

That's why Colloquial Japanese is a handy starter to the resolution: learn Japanese.
I started studying it in high school, but lost interest as I got older (in high school, not in Japanese, haha!) so I think it's time to take it up again - why not have it as a 2016 resolution.
This book is a handy beginners course to learning (or re-learning) the language, and just my speed to get back into it.

Destroy opponents Get fitter

That resolution everyone tries and then ruins by eating the leftovers from your New Years party: exercise.
I hate exercise books that tell me that I, too, can trim and tone my body if I work out for five seconds a day. I hate books that lead you in with a pleasant looking, not-sweaty-at-all woman doing some running with a big smile on her face.

Those books like you to think that it's not hard work, when it's ONLY hard work - I know, I've been training with my siblings for a while now.
By the end of it, we're all tired and ready to kill each other (but in a way where we don't have to actually move anymore) - and that's why I like this book: Men's health workout war: lose pounds, gain muscle, destroy your opponents.

Just the subtitle is enough for me. Destroy my opponents? I'm in.
More or less a more straight forward how-to exercise book, this one also encourages you to be more competitive with your workout friends (or, my sister) and thus how to destroy them. Perfect.**

Craft it up

And finally, The Year of Cozy is just the kind of year I need - a year of getting better at cooking, crafting, and, well, being creative. This book is a lovely little craft compendium, with some simple how to's and inspiring ideas.
Ready to help you get your creative energy a-flowin', The Year of Cozy shares some lifestyle tips as well to make sure you start 2016 with an aim of being happier and more purposeful (and of course, cozy).


So, those are some of my ideas for resolutions - how about yours? Any plans for some goals to get you over the new year?



*Actually, this does sound like fun.

**While the book is 'Men's health', I find that much of the exercise is the same for women. 
I'm no fitness pro, and suggest that you also try and find some good women's training books too if you like, but many of the exercises in Workout War are ones I do and know I can handle. 
Just as a precaution (and disclaimer, please don't sue me), never try anything too strenuous when you start, or find yourself someone who can show you the ropes. 
You're a baby deer, learning how to crush your enemies. You may still have to learn how to walk without falling over first.

New Year's resolutions - Do you make and break them?

So we all know that a New Year's resolution is when a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice, such as opening doors for people beginning from New Year's Day.

But how many of us make these resolutions and then end up breaking them? I'm not jumping on that wagon this year. I have spent too many years subjecting myself to failure. Over the years I've promised to myself that I would try a new diet, exercise more, save money, spend more time outdoors, and numerous other efforts. Each and every time I have failed.

A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail.

So why do New Year's resolutions fail? While we start out with good intentions and high expectations, it is easy to become discouraged when we inevitably fall short of our goals, and this is the reason most New Year’s resolutions fail. Our high expectations and desire for changes in behavior simply are not matched by our willingness to change our actual habits. The desire is there, but not the self-discipline needed to manifest the changes.

The top 10 most commonly broken New Year's resolutions are - 

• Lose Weight and Get Fit
• Quit Smoking
• Learn Something New
• Eat Healthier and Diet
• Get Out of Debt and Save Money
• Spend More Time with Family
• Travel to New Places
• Be Less Stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink Less

However if you are planning on making one, here are some top tips to help you avoid failure - 

Don’t overreach. Make one, not multiple New Year’s resolutions. Channel all your energy into one sensible, achievable goal.

Be specific. Break your overall goal down into smaller sub-goals, or objectives, with time-lines or other specifics. 

Monitor your progress. Keep track of both your goal-related activities and the progress you are making.

Don’t over-react to set-backs. Set-backs should be expected, but not used as an excuse to dial back on self-discipline.

Reward yourself often. We all need positive feedback.

Whether you are a New Year’s resolution-maker or not, the most important thing to consider for the coming year is that you can have a “fresh start” any time you need it.

So, if you have decided that you are going to set a resolution, what is your goal?