21st Century Manners:

News Year’s Resolutions

By: Tyler Barickman

   Most people in the world make New Year’s resolutions to ensure that they will have a “better” year.  Common resolutions range from losing weight, being an all-around better person and saving their money.  However many people that make these personal promises have trouble keeping them.  People also want to make New Year’s resolutions, but can’t think of goods ones that they would have the desire to keep.  We have some helpful tips on the perfect resolutions for you and how to keep them!

   One of the most common resolutions is losing weight.  A great way to lose weight is to cut the calories by doing something fun.  There are many classes out there that you can take to help you be active.  You want to pick a class that you will enjoy and that you will enjoy going back to, such as zumba and yoga.  Another easy tip to lose weight is to do crunches during TV commercials or in your spare time.  You wouldn't realize how much crunches can easily tighten up your stomach.  A great way to keep you motivated is to go to the gym with a friend.  Because you would be with a friend, it would be fun to go work out.  You will also follow through if someone else is excepting you to show up which will hold you accountable.  This may appeal more to girls, but I know that when I get cute new workout clothes, it motivates me to go to the gym and feel all sporty and professional.

   A very common New Year’s resolution is to give to charities.  If you are able to give to charities, then you should.  Many people are very selfish and don’t realize that other people in the world are in a lot of danger.  We take for granted our health, shelter, food and clear water.  If you are the type of person that loves giving necessities that you have enough of to others, then you may want to give to charities that help out the needy.  One very good charity to give to is the “Help the Children” organization.  This charity sends 25 million pounds of food to needy families in both the United States and other countries.  You may have a soft spot for children that have to live with a life threatening disease.  There are many charities out there that give treatment to sick children with illnesses such as cancer.  If you get very choked up when you see a poor innocent animal being abused and mistreated, then you could give to a charity that helps protect those animals.  For example, a great charity to give to is the “ASPCA”, which stands for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  This charity gives help to animals that are being abused and mistreated.  Animals are helpless and there are many people that abuse their animals for no reason.  These charities and charities similar to these are great to give to, and will start your new year off right.

   We all should strive to be a better person than we were yesterday.  The New Year is a great excuse to be a better person than you were last year.  One tip is to be kind to others, even if they are not kind to you.  If you are kind to people, you will be given more respect and everyone loves to have that kind of person in their life.  Another great tip is to be kind to strangers.  You don’t realize how your kindness can affect a stranger.  You never know what people are really going through.  They may be having an awful day and if you were to just open the door for them or pick up something they dropped, you may make their day better. It’s not like you could make it worse.  You can do simple things, like not gossiping about others.  That person may hear you and you will hurt their feelings.  Other people will hear you and think less of you.  A great way to be kinder is to just smile.  If you just keep a smile, your day can become better.  When you smile it will make you seem more open and friendly.  You can gain friends just by smiling to people you know and especially people you don’t know.

   Most of the world has real trouble with money.  We spend and spend and then wonder why we don’t have any.  To start off the New Year, you would love to have money.  One tip you should do is to watch what you spend.  You should watch your bank statements and make sure you are not overspending from what you really have.  It is good to not spend money just to spend it.  Most people just buy things to spend money and that can hurt you.  You can also set aside a small goal to save each week-even a few dollars will add up.  If you don’t spend money right when you get it, then you can have money to spend on things later that you would love to have.  You can set a max budget for how much you can spend on clothes or entertainment per week.  It forces you to be more creative for fun and to prioritize what you want.  There is a difference in treating yourself and just draining your bank account.

   New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep because we make them and then we don’t follow through with our resolutions.  When the clock strikes midnight at the New Year, it sounds like a great idea to want to change your self for the good to start off the New Year.  Most people don’t follow through with their spur of the moment resolutions.  We gave you some great tips to help you keep your resolutions.  We should all strive to be a better person than we were yesterday, but what better excuse to start on the New Year.