Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours health, happiness, good times and fun finds in 2016!
It’s Friday, so I am linking up with Courtney at Eat, Pray, Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for their weekly linkup. This is the first Friday Five of the year. There is a new format that I need to learn more about. I am going to write about resolutions because it is the first. I am not one to make big resolutions as I try to make small changes that stick throughout the year. That said, I saw a news story that stuck with me about easy things to do for a better 2016. We all need an easy button – right?
5 Easy Resolutions for a Better 2016!
1. Practice small acts of kindness. Smile and say hello to people. Let that car in front of you in traffic. Engage in a conversation with a stranger. Listen. Hold the door. Say “thank you.” Leave a generous tip and a note for excellent service. Leave a comment on a blog post or social media post that moves you. Make eye contact. Buy someone a coffee. Be nicer. Hold your tongue.
2. Write and send thank you cards – at least once a month. No gifts to thank folks for? Just say thank you for a nice gesture, a thoughtful action or a job well done. Write the cards, send them in the mail and smile when you think of the recipient receiving and reading them.
3. Get organized. Start with your inbox. Use a program like Unroll.me to aggregate and roll-up emails for shopping/ads, etc. It even lets you unsubscribe from emails (not this blog, please ;)) Set aside 5 minutes a day to go through that pile on your desk and try to file or throw away things that don’t need to be out. Find what works for you and try to do it consistently.
4. Call friends or family members instead of always texting or sending email. And, if they are not available, leave a message. I just heard a great story on the value of voicemail on Note to Self. Listen and leave a message!!
5. Give yourself a break. I mean this is a figurative sense. You wouldn’t harp on a friend for gaining a few pounds or skipping a workout, so stop torturing yourself. Be kinder to you. “Speak” to yourself like you speak to others – with compassion. Let things go. Leave behind a few things that no longer serve you. Learn to take a compliment – and believe it!
Do you make resolutions? What are they this year? I am going to try for these “easy” ones!
Happy 2016!
PS. You can also resolve to enter my awesome giveaways. That is a really easy one!