When I reflect on my past new year resolutions, I realize that I have not truly given enough thought into what I would like to change, or what I would like to work on. I notice a lot of my goals tend to be unrealistic, or just cliche like most other resolutions. I have spent a lot of time thinking over the past week as to what I would realistically like to accomplish, and things that would be beneficial for me. And I don’t want to pick just one goal. I want to work on all aspects of my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. So what are my New Year Resolutions for 2015? Well I am glad you asked.
1.) Drink more water. I can’t emphasize enough how important water is on the effect of one’s overall health. I admit that I definitely don’t drink near as much water as I should, and I think everyone can agree with me on that. I am lucky to get even a glass or two of water in per day. Often enough, I make poor choices by consuming more soda that anything. It tastes great, and satisfies that caffeine fix I crave for the day. I most recently replaced sodas with Gatorade G2, since it tastes better and has only 45 calories. But it is still not the best choice for my body. I decided it was time to finally put my goals into action. I now only allow myself to drink water with each meal, rather than drink a Dr. Pepper with my meals. If you haven’t noticed, fluid intake occurs most often during the day with your meals. And if you are like me, you find yourself drinking more than just one glass with a meal of whatever beverage it may be. So that can amount up to 6 glasses per day already! I only have two more glasses left to drink throughout the day, which is a lot easier to do in my opinion. Water also plays a key role in the appearance of your skin. When you are dehydrated, your skin cells essentially shrink, and can cause wrinkles to become more visible. You may even notice a more oily complexion as your body tries to compensate for the lack of hydration, and ultimately produces more oils. When you are hydrated, your skin appears more radiant, even-toned, and perfectly balanced. Just be patient, and give this idea a try.
2.) Be more organized. My life can be a little messy at times, and that is when good organization skills can come to the rescue. The mess that I can create in my house is what I would like to consider an “organized mess” because only I know where I have placed certain items among the mess. But there are times where the mess can get out of control, and I no longer know where everything is. I decided to embrace a new approach to better organization. Simply doing small, quick chores every day can keep your home and workspace in order so you don’t have to clean up a larger mess and spend even more time doing so. Over the past week, I have dedicated one day to re-organizing each individual room, and creating a plan to KEEP the room in order. Monday, I focused on the bedroom. My closet was chaotic, the side tables filled with unnecessary junk, and the dresser over-flowing with shirts and pants. I went through all the clothes of my closet, and tossed the items I no longer wanting, or items I have not worn in the past year. If I didn’t intend to wear it in the coming year, it was going in the donation bag or the trash. I removed all the terrible wire clothing hangers and replaced them with space saving, and aesthetically appealing hangers. I tossed all the junk from the side tables and gave every item an appropriate space to stay. As for the dresser, I refolded and reorganized the drawers to create more space. Also, I got rid of some items that I no longer needed or wore, just like I did with my closet. I have decided to dedicate every Monday to maintaining the cleanliness of the bedroom, which also includes washing the sheets and vacuuming the carpet. I taken the same concept and applied it to the other rooms of my home. I will try create a separate post of my weekly cleaning routine, and let you know how it works out for me over the year! Just remember that if you take it out, put it back when you are done. It could not be any easier than that!
3.) Be a better friend. I am so lucky to be blessed with a wonderful husband, and amazing friends and family. I moved from North Carolina to Nashville, TN in 2012, and I left all of my friends and family behind. It has forced me to make new friends, and lovingly embrace the new members of my family. I have never been a person to just call up a friend or family member for no particular reason, but over the years that I have spent separated from the special people in my life, I have realized that it is more important than ever to do these small tasks. I find myself so out-of-the-loop when I travel back home for holidays and events because I have failed to maintain steady communication with my dearest friends. It makes me feel so good when a friend calls me just to see how I am doing. I want to be that kind of friend this year. Showing someone that you are interested in their life is the kindest gesture you can do. It is true that people love talking about themselves, and I feel that not enough people take the time to show interest in learning about other people’s lives. I want to try to ask people how they are doing and what they have been up to more often this year. Not only will I build better and stronger relationships with the ones I care about most, but I will only develop new and stronger relationships with those I would like to know better. Give someone a call today that you haven’t talked to in a while. I guarantee you will make their day a little better!
What are your New Year Resolutions? Did you find mine helpful? Try to do something that would improve YOU. Ask yourself the true purpose behind the goal you have set. If you are trying to lose weight, why are you setting this goal? If you are doing it for your own self-esteem and health benefit, then that is GREAT! But, if you find you are doing it to meet someone else’s approval, or plan to cause harm to yourself to achieve that goal, then you are not really achieving anything. Do something that will make you feel like you have at least made progress, even if you have not yet achieved that goal. And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get to your goal. Look back at the accomplishments you made along the way. That is success to me. Have a great rest of your day, and thanks for reading!
Love Always,
Jillian Wade
Box of Chocolates 