Statistics show that people's commitment to New Year's resolutions fade after January, and only 20% maintain the resolutions past Valentine's Day.
New Year's resolutions often center around self improvement, such as: losing weight, getting better grades, increasing exercise, or kicking a bad habit. These resolutions seem to be hard to maintain in the long term for most. Maybe this is because nothing else changes, such as our busy schedules, organization of time, workload, etc, so reverting back to our old ways seems inevitable.
Maybe a new approach is necessary. Rather than looking in towards ourselves, it may be better to look outward and try to improve the lives of others. This will have the affect of changing your own life simultaneously!
Commit to volunteering - weekly.... or at least monthly!
Find an important cause or charity to support - take time out of every day life to provide perspective on what is important. There are countless agencies looking for the gift of time and energy from people. Volunteering can even be done from the comfort of home with virtual volunteer opportunities.
- Walk dogs at a local animal shelter (this is a good way to incorporate an exercise goal as well.)
- Help coach a children's sports team
- Do office work for a non-profit
- Help with activities at long term care facilities
Be a Better Citizen on a Daily Basis
Find ways to make the community safer:
- Drive slower - even that extra 5 or 10mph - can be the difference between stopping in time and causing damage, or worse
- When out walking, take a bag and a pair of gloves and pick up garbage in a block of the neighborhood
- Regularly check in on an elderly neighbor - mow their lawn, collect their newspapers, offer to help with putting up or taking down Christmas decorations
Be a Better Citizen of the World Around You
One of the single best ways to make a difference in the world without too much time and effort is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycle everything that can be recycled, think twice about buying items that may never be used, and donate as much good condition stuff to charity organizations. Easy ways to make a difference in the environment:
- Take a shorter shower (5 minutes)
- Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
- Get in the habit of turning off lights when rooms are empty
- Unplug gadgets when not in use - even leaving the phone charger plugged into the wall wastes electricity
It is Better to Give Than to Receive
Nobel Peace Prize recipient (1986) and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said, 'This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.'
Making the world a better place starts at home and in the local community. Trying to lose the last 5 pounds as a New Year's resolution pales in comparison to what can be gained from volunteering time and energy to a cause close to one's heart.
Thank you to Suite 101 & Lorah Delaney
Making the world a better place starts at home and in the local community. Trying to lose the last 5 pounds as a New Year's resolution pales in comparison to what can be gained from volunteering time and energy to a cause close to one's heart.
Thank you to Suite 101 & Lorah Delaney
Don't forget to apply to be the 2011 Spotlight Prom winner!
