Top Tips for a New You in 2017- New Year Resolutions
Another year has begun and across the country people are knuckling down to their New Year Resolutions. Whether it’s losing weight, getting fit, quitting smoking or doing “Dry January”, it’s rare that you find someone who is not trying to better themselves in some way at the start of the year.
But what about the less obvious resolutions? While the above resolutions are no doubt very important, I believe that spending a whole month resolving yourself to giving up everything all at once can sometimes just send you down the road to failure.
Here are my top tips for a New You in 2017:
1. Write down your resolutions
This is something I have done for the last 2 years and I find it helps to keep you motivated and on-track. Rather than just having a vague notion in your head of what you are trying to achieve, seeing them written down on paper can help to keep you focused and keep them fresh in your mind. Hang the list up in your bedroom somewhere where it will catch your eye. Keep it safe. At the end of the year, having a list to look back at will make you feel great if you have achieved everything, and if there is anything you haven’t achieved maybe it will help to motivate you more for the next year!
2. Start a journal
The trick to this I find is to keep a small journal in your handbag and jot things down as they happen. If you try to commit yourself to writing a full blown diary each night then it will inevitably end up falling by the way-side (who has time for that these days?!). However keep your journal to hand and make notes of things that make you smile, make you laugh….even things that make you sad. When you look back at it in a few months you will remember all the good times and see how you have overcome the bad times.
3. Remove the negative
Remove the negative from your life. Easier said than done I know. Let’s face it, you’re never going to be able to get rid of all the negatives. But why not focus on the one that has the biggest impact on your life and work on eliminating this one. Whether it’s your job, a negative relationship or a bad habit, pick one thing that you can really work on and say goodbye to in 2017.
4. Try something new
For me, this is trying a new recipe at least once a week. But it can be anything, a new hobby, upskilling or even a change of career. It can be so easy to slip into routines of doing the familiar things day-in, day-out. However something different can give you new goals, a new purpose and can be a great source of enjoyment!
5. Treat Yourself
If your resolution is to go on a diet or to stop spending money on unnecessary things then this can be a good one! Personally I find that going cold turkey with anything can just end up in failure. You need to live your life too and have things to look forward to! So if you’re on a diet then have one allocated cheat day a week. Or if you’re trying to save money then allocate some money at the end of the month to buy something special for yourself. Looking forward to these things can help you stay focused throughout the weeks and months.
6. Refresh Your Makeup Collection
This one may be money dependent, so maybe not the best idea for January when everyone is recovering from spending so much over Christmas! Every so often I look at my makeup collection and think to myself how I would love some new additions, or a re-fresh of my current products. Maybe you could even try something new in your skincare regime – who knows, you might have been missing out on some essential pampering product that could do wonders for your complexion.
7. Don’t Look Back
For me, this is one of the most important things. It can be so easy to look back at negative things that happened last year and dwell on them. In my case, I found myself looking back to the resolutions that I didn’t achieve in 2016 and wondering if there was a point in trying them again this year. No one needs that kind of negativity in their lives. 2017 is a brand new year, full of new possibilities. Start the year with a positive mental attitude and you will go far.