A New Year, a New You: 52 Extraordinary New Year's Resolutions for Massive Change

Happy New Year!  This is a brand new year and with it comes a fresh new start to becoming your best self.  The following 52 resolutions will help you create massive change in your life.  If you’ve been wondering how to jump-start your life so that you can be living more passionately and more abundantly, read on!

1.  Since all you have is this present moment, make a conscious effort to be in the Now as you go about your day.  Resolve the past so it isn’t dragging you down with it and begin to direct your attention back to the present.  When you find yourself ruminating about your childhood or having a hard time forgiving someone for something done in the past, find another way to view your experience (or experiences) that is more positive and empowering for you.  If you are bothered by something for example, that your parents did or your ex-spouse said, see if you can talk with them about it–don’t leave it festering like an open wound.  You carry it around everywhere you go until your pain becomes resolved.  No matter how hard you try to bury it, it will inevitably show up until you feel healed.  You can’t avoid it–you must process it.  If you are having a hard time letting go of something from your past, talk to a therapist or someone who is supportive and nonjudgmental.

If you have anxiety in your life, it is most likely a fear of something in the future. Since the future is not occurring in the moment, it would be significantly healthier for you to disengage from the mind/ego trying to control things, and bring yourself back into the present.

Being present does not mean not having a vision for the future.  It is important to have goals to work toward.  Instead of focusing on the goal itself, focus on the process.  Focus on what you can do in this particular moment to reach your goals and live your best life.

2.  Become 100% responsible for yourself–this means for your thoughts, words, and actions.  You are 100% responsible for your life–your parents aren’t, your spouse and kids aren’t, your boss isn’t…no matter how much you complain about them, they aren’t responsible for making you miserable or happy–you are.  You are not a victim; you are incredibly powerful.  With this power comes responsibility.  Own your stuff.  If you are blaming your parents for your lot in life, or because your ex left you–well, this may hurt a bit, but you are 100% responsible for your life.  What happened in the past, happened. You can’t change that.  However, you can change the way you view the experience.  For example, I (Nicole) was married for 17 years only to have my marriage end abruptly.  I could have blamed my ex and lived a miserable life.  I could have added more to the pity party and allowed myself to wallow in my misery by letting everyone know that my mother died when I was 7, then I had to deal with neglect and abuse.  I’ve dealt with the senseless death of a brother at a young age and the frustration and anger over parental alienation.  I don’t relate these things to have people feel sorry for me.  I relate them to tell people that I have overcome some very real and tragic obstacles, and they have made me a better person.  I don’t blame anyone because I live my life doing my best to be 100% responsible for my thoughts, words, and actions.  I choose to view these experiences as learning opportunities.  You are not a victim–you are the hero/heroine of your life!

3.  Practice continuous and constant self-improvement.

4.  Become more positive by taking regular positivity breaks.  Wake up thinking of things you are grateful for.  If something goes wrong during your day, think of something positive that could come about from it.

5.  Practice empathic listening.  Try listening without interrupting, judging, critiquing, or advising.

6.  Find ways to be quiet during your day.  Meditate, listen to self-hypnosis downloads, take a contemplative walk in nature, or concentrate on your breathing.

7.  Hire a coach or a therapist.  Make this your best year yet by resolving the past or taking your life to a new and higher level by focusing on a fantastic future.

8.  Contribute to your community or to the world around you on a daily basis.  Pick up litter (even if it’s just a wrapper), smile more, donate, be more generous, start a website, or take up a cause.  Become a beacon of light for love, for change, and for peace.

9.  Try something new each day.  Try a new way to work, a new flavor, a new song, or a new scent.

10.  Write out a list of what you’ve been tolerating in your life.  After each one, write how you’ll address it.

11.  Stop complaining.  Complaining is another form of giving away your power.  If you are complaining, it means something needs a solution.  If there is no apparent solution, then resolve to change your thoughts about it.

12.  Declutter.  Start with your junk drawer, then go from room to room deciding which goes and which stays.

13.  Practice more self-care.

14.  Start a garden, even if it’s on your windowsill.

15.  Resolve to laugh more and have more fun.

16.  One day a week, go technology-free.  No tv’s, no phones, no computers, no video games.  Disconnect from the world and connect with family and friends the old-fashioned way.

17.  Write more thank you notes.  Consciously make an effort to tell those around you how much you appreciate them.

18.  Reconnect with someone you haven’t talked to in a long time.

19.  Touch more often.  Touch is therapeutic to the soul.

20.  Practice good manners–remember to say please, thank you, and excuse me.

21.  Do something out of your comfort zone.

22.  Do what you say and say what you do.

23.  Say “I love you” to someone at least once a day.

24.  Go somewhere you’ve never been.

25.  Talk to someone you wouldn’t ordinarily talk to.

26.  Do the things you least want to do first–work on procrastination.

27.  Practice nonviolent communication.  Use the phrase “I feel________because I________” when you feel unresolved about something; keep it about yourself.

28.  Make amends with someone you’ve had issues with in the past.

29.  Let go of past grievances.

30.  Relearn a game you used to play in childhood.  Jacks, hopscotch, a card or board game–play it with your family or friends now.

31.  Try a new dish or create a new one.

32.  Give up a food that you know is bad for you.  Introduce a new one that is better for you in its place.

33.  Learn about a new culture or race.

34.  Read about someone you admire–what beliefs and values did or do they hold?  How did they spend their day?  What did they read or do?  Why do you admire them?  Incorporate some of their successful habits into your day.

35.  Make it a point to add extra value/effort into every interaction.

36.  Relax more.

37.  Get creative–invite more ways to bring more creativity into your life.

38.  The only person you can change is yourself–stop trying to change other people.

39.  Stop gossipping.

40.  Become financially responsible–make a budget, spend less, know where your money goes, how much you owe, etc.

41.  Make a vision board.  Put everything you’d like to be, do, or have on it.

42.  Create healthy boundaries with others.

43.  Celebrate more often.

44.  Face more of your fears.

45.  Resolve to take more action on your goals.

46.  Stop beating yourself up.  You can be your own worst enemy–be a coach to yourself, not a drill sergeant.

47.  Connect with a higher power more often.

48.  Learn to receive.  You may be a fantastic giver, but learn how to accept gifts with grace and gratitude.

49.  Find your passion.  The world benefits immensely when you do what you love.

50.  Create a new story.  Create a new, more powerful and positive story about an incident in childhood, about a relationship break-up, or a job loss.  Be the hero/heroine of it, instead of the victim.

51.  Bring more romance into your life.  Buy your partner or yourself flowers, dance–recreate that just fallen in love feeling every day.

52.  Be a better you.  By the end of this year, resolve to be even better than you had been in the past.  Forgive whatever happened in the past, bring your best energy into everything you do, become 100% responsible, practice gratitude, be more present, be more loving and open, learn, reframe negative experiences into positive ones, try new things, give back, and always be working on self-improvement.  Invest in yourself–you are worth it!

Life is too short to sit on the sidelines, watching the game of life.  Get in there!  Participate!  Put in your best effort–whatever you’ve got.  Forget the past–it’s done!  Stop worrying about the future–it’s not here yet.  You are a valuable human being.  The world needs you.  The world needs your positive attitude, your honest effort, and your light.  Be a beacon of hope and inspiration to others.  Live your life your way, live it according to your truth, and live it authentically.

We wish you the very best that life has to offer.  Happy New Year–may this be your best year yet!

Namaste,

Don and Nicole Nenninger

You can find us at personaldevelopment.me, donnenninger.com, nicolenenninger.com, and runninglongisland.com