It’s traditional to start the New Year off with a few resolutions. Of course, you’re going to change a few things and lead a better, more fulfilled life. That’s what resolutions are all about. The traditional options are to stop smoking, cut down the drinking, get fit and healthy or lose weight. Most of which tend to lose appeal.
But New Year resolutions don’t have to be all about giving something up.
They can be far more achievable if you decide to start something new and exciting. Here’s our quick guide to alternative New Year resolutions that will make you feel good.
Alternative New Year Resolutions
Create Your Own Cocktail
You might think that there’s nothing new when it comes to cocktails. You can easily create your own cocktail if you follow a few simple rules. All it takes after that is a little practice to find the perfect recipe. Becoming a mixologist doesn’t require much beyond a few cocktail shakers and the right ingredients. Expert cocktail hosts advise trying variants on traditional cocktails to start with and then getting more adventurous. Of course, the most fun comes from encouraging friends and family to try and rate your concoctions.
Embark on a Daily Photo Challenge
If you’ve always wanted to keep a diary but never had the energy or focus to do it, you might want to try a daily photo challenge instead. Your aim is to take one meaningful and entertaining image, either of yourself or a location that relates to your day and collect them together in one place. 365 photo projects are becoming increasingly popular and can greatly increase your picture taking skills as well as being a fun thing to do. Imagine, this time next year being able to look back over an entire year in photo form.
Learn a New Language
With easy internet access, it has never been easier to learn a new skill. It seems that every day there’s an app for improving everything from our guitar playing to our culinary skills. If you’re looking to learn a new language to start off the new year, there are plenty of options out there that allow you to pick up the basics or become fluent.
Let your Creativity Flow
In our increasingly automated and digitised world, our creative selves can get left out. Art is one of those perennial activities that offers so much, whether you’re an absolute beginner or a budding Van Gough. Buy yourself an art pad and some pencils, turn the spare room into a studio or join a local class – you’ll find that indulging your artistic side will improve your sense of well-being, concentration and bring hours of enjoyment.
Transform Your Home
If you’ve been meaning to do it but not quite got around to redecorating your home, the New Year is a good time to start. Head to the local DIY sales and pick up some paint and shelving bargains in the January sales and you can while away the next few months transforming the look and feel of your home. Start by planning what you want to do and build a month by month list of jobs. Keep it realistic, the point isn’t to overwhelm and overstretch yourself.
Try Something New Each Week
Finally, one thing you can do to pep yourself up during 2018 is to do something totally different each week. We tend to get trapped in the same old routine which can make life seem rather dull – search the internet for different ideas and add one to your week over the next year. You’ll be surprised what a difference it makes to your life. Try out these great ideas from Elephant Journal to start you off.
