For many people, January is the month to start fresh, with people up and down the land solemnly resolving to become streamlined alcohol-free healthy eaters that donate more to charity and reply to texts the same day. These are all great ideas, but they’re kind of samey and a bit boring. They also hardly ever last beyond January, or we wouldn’t have to keep making the same resolutions each year!
This year, shake things up and make some resolutions that are exciting, interesting and even educational! Here’s four ideas to get you thinking.
Invest in some precious metals
What's Inside
Every year you promise that you’ll save money and every year you collect a small pile together before blowing it all on some silly impulse purchase. This year you can break the habit by starting off a precious metals portfolio instead. You can easily find out more about buying metals and once you’re clued up, you’ll also be delighted to find out you can start off with as little as $10 or $15!
Resolve to do at least one kind thing a day for a stranger
Everyone will have felt the kindness of a stranger in their lives, even if it’s just once, and the gesture they made will become a lifelong memory. Whether it’s someone picking up the rest of the grocery bill when you were short, or stopping to jump-start your car in the pouring rain, you’ll remember these brief flashes of human kindness. The world needs more of them right now, so pay for an elderly couple’s coffee and cake, or buy a sandwich and drink for a homeless person. Offer to weed the garden for someone who’s unwell or infirm, or retrieve a ball for some kids after they’ve kicked it into a hedge.
Try a new food once a week
Far too many of us are in a real food rut, buying and preparing the same foods and recipes each week. If you’re all eating healthily, then this is great, of course, but trying new things is good for the mind as well as the body. Try an exotic vegetable, for example. You don’t have to base an entire meal around it if you don’t want to, but try it in a side salad instead. Or, you could swap your usual dairy milk for an almond alternative. Aim to make the new choice a healthier one if you can, although there’s nothing to say you can’t try a new kind of dessert once in a while…
Make one new friend a month
Another rut that people fall into is seeing the same people every weekend and doing the same things with them. Very often, these people are very similar to us, in terms of background, education, and life stage. This is all very cozy, but it doesn’t broaden the mind, so reach out to someone whose life is very different from yours. If you’re a lifelong introvert, approach a zany-looking extrovert, strike up a conversation (they love talking to people), and get their phone number. Talk to the old lady down the road, or just say yes to eight out of ten social invitations instead of just five. You never know who’ll you’ll meet!
