With 2013 behind us, it’s now time to set new resolutions for this year. And we have just the ones everyone should put on their list.

Live the Healthy Lifestyle

Losing weight is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions many of us make at the beginning of every year. And although some do keep their health kick alive 365 days a year, many of us don’t. Instead of focusing on a weight number, let’s try to incorporate a healthy lifestyle for 2014. Think less diets and more wellness. So not just a gym membership plan but also more vegetables, fruits and nutritional alternatives to our daily diet. This way it’s us establishing a lifestyle that becomes more second nature and less short term.

Tip: Positive reinforcement is quite an effective approach to move short term goals into long term ones. We suggest putting up a wall calendar and writing daily, weekly or monthly goals. And including a prize at the end. This creates motivation to continue to meet those goals. Soon they stop being goals and rather a way of living.

Inspire the Positive Attitude

How we start the new year is very much dependent on what we bring to it. For some, 2013 was not the best year. And believe us, we sympathize. But this doesn’t mean we have to start the year the same. Letting go of the physical, emotional or financial woes of last year and turning a new leaf this year can be the first step to a great year. How do we do so? It starts with our attitude. If we focus on the negative, which let’s face it, there will be some. The key is to rise above those gloomy moments, put a smile on our face and keep our spirits high. Let’s not fall into the “why me” frame of thought. If we can think positive, we can do positive things. This also applies to our environment. Surrounding ourselves with positive settings and people can really encourage us to stay in that positive light.

Tip: We suggest printing out a few inspirational quotes or sayings and putting them in a small notebook or journal we can carry in our bags. So anytime we find ourselves wandering to negative waters, we can pull out our notebook and read encouraging words. As they say, mind over matter.

Set Up “Me” Time

With the new year in full swing, we’re already feeling the hectic schedules.  While we should be productive and push forward at full force, we do need to take the time to take care of our mind, body and soul. We do so by taking “me” time. Not an easy thing to do, but a necessary one. We can often run out of steam by mid year if we don’t learn to take a breather once in a while. “Me” time can sound inconvenient and a bit selfish, especially if we have other people depending on us. But what many of us forget is that we’re human. And with that comes the reality that we don’t have superpowers (nor endless stamina). If we take at least 10 to 30 minutes out of our busy schedules to relax, we’re more likely to feel recharged; thus able to handle anything life throws at us.

Tip: Meditation is an excellent way to relax and recenter our minds. We suggest creating a playlist  with meditation hymns and songs to listen to on our way to work, on our lunch breaks or at home.

Discover the Balance Scale

One of the reasons why resolutions are broken so often is that many of us want them to come to fruit right away. But unless a genie is a click away and can grant us three wishes, chances are we’re going to have to A. work hard for what we want. And B. probably wait a while for them to come true. Balance is key. Setting up realistic goals is only half the task. We also have to learn to be patient if we want to fit into those great pair of designer jeans we bought last month or find a great guy with all the trimmings. The same goes for those of us on the other side of the spectrum who have a tendency to doubt they will accomplish their resolutions. Sure knowing our limits is important, but also knowing when to push above the expectations. It’s what differs a successful person and non successful one.

Tip: Let’s make a goal and work towards checking it off our list. But if we don’t then let’s not berate ourselves. We just have to create a moderation of that same goal. This way we haven’t given up, we’ve just took a step back and modified it a bit.

Reuse and Clear Out Our Space

Instead of going out to spend money on a whole new wardrobe or buy new trinkets for our home, why not cleaning out our closets and cabinets and see what we can reuse or donate. There’s a little hoarder in most of us, so letting go off things can be a bit hard. But we’re pretty sure the 80s can keep those puffy sleeve gowns. Plus it’s our golden opportunity to find great pieces we’d forgotten we ever had. Think of all the killer outfits we can put together. But this doesn’t just apply to our closets, we can also clear out the clutter throughout our place. Having a cleaner, uncluttered space to go home too is one of the best ways to start the year afresh.

Tip: Take on a few DIY projects, whether it’s to revamp a few old pieces in our closet or changing up our decor.

Expand Our Repertories

We’re adamant about trying new things and expanding our horizons. So we encourage you all to do the same. Whether it’s taking that sushi making class we’ve been wanting to take or booking a once in a lifetime trip to Bali, we should do it. Think how amazing it will be to make delicious sushi or share incredible stories of our trip to our friends and family.

Tip: We suggest trying something completely new. It will not only spark us out of our old routine but will feel a sense of accomplishment in doing so.