A few years back, I read Gretchen Rubin’s first book, The Happiness Project, and something that she said about resolutions struck a chord. Many people make New Year’s resolutions but do not see them through (sometimes, as bad as giving up within a week) because of unrealistic thinking and wrong approaches. Positive habits should be formed rather than short-term resolutions.
How wise! Never a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions, I was even more convinced to NOT set goals just because of changes in the year digits. Instead, I take more effort to explore core values and possibilities of what I can do to gain or fulfill aspects that I think are important to me in life.
The new fabulous body …
Old friends are familiar with my silly antics, and one of my pet phrases in recent years is, “I’m gonna get my new fabulous body”. Of course, it is a constant hard work-in-progress being a glutton food lover and food guide in Singapore. However, that’s not the point. I make conscious effort to exercise and stay in the pink of health (that’s my underlying aim).
According to Mark Manson, research shows that habits are formed if you can practise it consecutively for at least a month. I always climbed the steps to my workplace (when I had a full-time job). When I was studying in Colombia in the latter half of this year, I walked to and fro school almost every weekday (approximately 20~30 minutes each way). The idea is to gently ease exercise (a positive habit) in my daily routine because sometimes we get so caught up trying to live life.
Good health is one of my core values (and let’s be honest, almost everyone else’s in the world) because how can one live decently, let alone chase dreams, if you do not possess a healthy body and mind?
Every little action counts!
Then, there is the bite-size goals. At the risk of sounding like some over-zealous and positive life motivational blogger with 101 technical terms for describing achievable goals (I am not!) in the new year, I must warn you never to underestimate your actions. Every little action counts, and the accumulation of small but positive actions will help you to fulfil goals that nudge you closer to your core values.
Break things down, make bite-size goals, so that you do not choke or get one of those undesirable heartburns.
Despite not liking the idea of New Year’s resolutions, I do appreciate the measurement of TIME in units (though I think people are SOMETIMES irrationally obsessed with numbers) and ‘no man is an island’. So, pardon me, but it is TIME for me to evaluate my core values and decide on new year’s resolutions bite-size goals for 2017 (like almost everyone else) … Because life is a picture but I am not Jack and I don’t want to stay in a pixel.
– End –
No ‘sane’ or self-serving bloggers would recommend you to read others’ articles other than theirs, and for (sighs) SEO reasons but! I am not a blogger. I’m just a random girl-next-door who likes to think, write and share my thoughts. If you enjoyed reading the above, you may like the following articles by some of my favourite writers/thought-provokers:
“Life is a picture, but you stay in a pixel” by Tim Urban
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/life-is-picture-but-you-live-in-pixel.html
“MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERYDAY (AND THIS IS HOW TO EXPERIENCE ONE)” by Dr. Kelly Flanagan
http://drkellyflanagan.com/2016/10/11/miracles-happen-everyday-and-this-is-how-to-experience-one/
“Your goals are overrated” by Mark Manson
https://markmanson.net/goals
“The days are long, but the years are short” (video) by Gretchen Rubin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KktuoQwb3vQ
Travel Beckons 
Reblogged this on Learning is A Continous Act and commented:
In my new year resolution, I have resolved to do the following things:
1. Have more time with my family.
2. Make them more happier and spend more time tilting their thought to the things one ought to have done being more close top God.
3. I have also resolved to make more money passively instead of depending on salary alone that was why I created these few avenues http://www.startaimglobal.com ,www.ultimatesmsnigeria.com and to make more money training and building many in alliance in motion global.
Happy new year and all the best!
Totally agree with everything being said in this post! Indeed, health is the most important “wealth” we all need, and the basis for which other dreams can then follow 😉