5 New Year's Resolution Ideas For 2018

5 New Year’s Resolution Ideas For 2018

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Shannon Severance in Tips and Tricks

We’ve all done it – made a new year’s resolution we can’t keep. There’s nothing more discouraging than failing at reaching a goal or completing a project. Notice the word choice of “can’t”, however. Sometimes our resolutions are impossible to keep and we just need to set more reasonable goals.

Since none of us is perfect and everyone has room for improvement, we put together a list of new year’s resolution ideas we feel are fairly easy to do and would make for better human beings.

	1. Stop Littering Without getting too standing-on-a-soapbox about this, one thing every one of us should always resolve to do is never, ever, litter. Don’t see a trash can? Hold onto it for at least another 15 minutes and we promise you’ll find one soon. Living in a paradise like Hawaii we are also at risk of polluting our ocean so it is especially important to be more aware of where we put our rubbish. It is essential that we preserve the beauty of our ‘aina (land) and for the health and safety of our ocean animals as well. Safely pick up any trash you see, whenever you can. Every little bit helps.
	2. Volunteer There are many ways to give back other than working in a soup kitchen, being a public school teacher or running for low-level public office. One way to pair your skills with organizations looking for help is by using the LinkedIn for Good Volunteer Network. Verified non-profit organizations need all kinds of volunteers, anywhere from clerical work to web development, and LinkedIn uses the skills you list on your profile to provide you with suggestions of work you could volunteer to do.
	3. Stop Buying Bottled Water This one kind of ties into #1, being environmental and all. But besides saving the environment, you will also save money, and even your health, by not using plastic bottles. According to BanTheBottle.net, last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38. Additionally, the recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates, equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400 per year. Do yourself – and the Earth – a huge favor and buy a water bottle, flask, or tumbler. Click HERE to go to Amazon.com to see the available options for a double walled, thermal insulated flasks and tumblers. Buy a baby bottle cleaning brush for a couple of dollars to make cleaning your flask easier.
	4. Grow Something To Eat As a nation, we are almost totally dependent upon commercial farming for all of our produce. We forgot our hunter-gatherer instincts and, for most of us, the concept of growing or raising our own food is completely foreign. Lately, however, the trend of growing a vegetable garden has been making a comeback. With community gardens popping up everywhere and DIY projects online with ideas to create gardens for small spaces, it’s becoming easier to find ways to be a garden farmer. Or just grow something in a pot on your windowsill. If you don’t have a green thumb, find something that grows easily and buy it as a starter plant. Our favorite is grape tomatoes – they are easy to grow and delicious!
	5. Make Meaningful Connections Health professionals at the Aspen Ideas Festival recently spoke about how an increasing amount of people feel lonely, which takes a toll on mental and physical health. You can have many friends and still feel lonely. If you aren’t one of those people, perhaps someone you know is. Make it a point to connect with that person more, especially single or elderly people during the holidays. You also won’t believe how good having that connection will make you feel, especially if you’ve brought even a small amount of joy to another person.