“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
- Oprah Winfrey
Let’s face it: Almost no one holds true to their New Year’s resolutions permanently. It seems like the whole “New Year’s resolution” thing is a collective lark; a charade that everyone agrees on so as not to admit to actually starting the year with an extended hangover.
This year, take my advice and make a useful and realistic resolution. Stop focusing on such perennial classics as going to the gym more often, losing weight and quitting smoking. Think bigger, better and brighter, for you and for those around you. Beyond just giving you the right to say you quit something, certain resolutions will get you thinking about the big picture.
The following 7 resolutions are intended to make you a better person. Pick at least one and stick to it (that’s right, follow through — it’s not that difficult).
1. Be Grateful
If you don’t already thank people when they do something nice for you, start taking the time to notice just how many people help you over the course of a day. This applies on a large scale as well. If you consider all the people who have helped you in your life (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.), you might feel a bit better about humanity and stay humble as well.
2. Perform One Unselfish Act Regularly
That is, something for others from which you don’t benefit directly. It could be as small as carrying someone’s groceries, as generous as helping someone whose car is broken down on the highway, or as practical as teaching a friend something you know a lot about.
3. Spend Time With Family
Realize your family’s importance and pay special attention to those who might have been neglected lately. Visit the grandparents who don’t get out much or the cousin you used to be so close to.
You also might want to consider touching base with some old friends you’ve lost contact with. In every instance, you will be reminded of certain aspects of yourself that you forgot about and get back in touch with your roots.
4. Change One Negative Thing About Yourself
Be it jealousy, constant stress, misanthropy, always staying in, lying, or what have you, pick something that exudes negative energy and phase it out. Adapt to change and you will probably cause some pre-emptive elimination of future resentment (e.g., you might not take it personally when your local hockey team relocates, or when your old mechanic’s replacement makes a mistake on your car). Fixing the negative will increase your self-esteem, so believe in yourself.
5. Take Up a New Hobby
Pick something you’ve always wanted to do but have never followed through on — photography, skydiving, baking, whatever. Replace some of the time you spend watching bad television with your new hobby and you’ll feel productive and fulfilled. You can even take it a step further and learn about one of your loved ones’ interests.
6. Learn to Relax
Let that vacation time mellowness carry over into the New Year. If you get too stressed at work, give yourself an hour of silence each day, before or after your workday.
When you get home, don’t turn on the disturbing news programs or check your stocks. Find something that relaxes you — a game of solitaire, a puzzle, someone to talk to on the phone, a pet — and focus on it for an hour each day. Believe it or not, you’ll start to relax in the long run.
7. Listen More
Prior to listening, though, you will likely have to face the reality that you talk too much. Ask yourself: Am I just waiting to talk when others are speaking? If so, treat yourself to some humble pie and make a point to listen actively to others. Practice your listening skills with your spouse. Remember: “If he who listens, listens fully, then he who listens becomes he who understands.”
With one of these resolutions in your back pocket, you will be on your way to actually becoming a better person. A nice bonus is that once you feel yourself improving, in body and in mind, you will want to improve your life in other ways. One resolution could lead to a dozen more! So keep working on making yourself a better person.
译文:
7个最有效的新年决心
“当我们迎接新年到来的同时，也获得了改进自己的机会。”--奥普拉·温弗瑞
就让我们面对现实吧：几乎没有人会一直恪守自己新年时下的决心。所谓的“新年决心”这样看来似乎就是大家一起开的一个玩笑，一个每个人都心知肚明猜谜游戏，即便是下了“决心”，也用不着真的做到下一年不再宿醉。
今年，就听听我的建议，下个既有用又实际的决心吧。不要把新年决心定死在那些永恒的经典目标上，像什么多去去健身房呀，减肥呀，戒烟呀。思路拓宽一点，想得更高更远些。这不仅仅为你自己，也是为了周围其他人。等到你不再只是说说“我要戒烟”时，你就会围绕自己下的决心好好想想未来。
以下7个决心会帮你成为一个更优秀的人。至少选一个，并且坚持到底（既然是正确的，就要做到底—其实也不是很困难）。
1. 要心存感激
当别人帮了你，但你却没有真心实意地感谢他们，那么从现在开始就好好想想，一天中到底有多少人帮过自己。这在更大范围上也同样适用。要是你觉得所有的人都曾帮过你（像父母，老师，教练等等），你可能就会更有人性一点，同时也更谦虚一点。
2. 经常做一项无私的举动
这个的话，是针对你没有直接从他/她那里受益的人做的。这里所讲的无私的举动，小至帮人搬下东西，大到在高速公路上帮那些车坏掉的人一把，或则，更实际点，教自己很熟的朋友一些事情。
3. 和家人在一起
要充分意识到家庭的重要性，对于最近一直被忽视的家庭成员尤其要予以特别的关注。多拜访一下不便出门的祖父母，多去看看原先很亲近的兄弟姐妹。
你可能也会想要和那些音信久失的老朋友联系上。每次这样做的时候，你就会发现被自己遗忘了的某一面，从而能找回本我。
4. 改变和自己相关的某一消极事物
如果有事情让你易妒，觉得压力大，不愿和别人来往，老呆在家里，常常撒谎，任何会对自己产生消极影响的东西你都应该加以排除。要学会适应变化，这样你就可能预先消除一些未来可能有的怨恨（比方说，当地的曲棍球队转移地方了，或则说帮你一直修车的老技工换人了，你大可不必觉得都和自己有关）。排除了这些消极事物，你会更自重，因而更有自信。
5. 形成一个新的爱好
做些你一直都想做，却从未实施过的事情—比如摄影，跳伞，烤面包，什么都行。把你用来看电视的时间让给新爱好，你就会觉得多么的有成就感。你甚至可以做得更进一步，好好研究下自己的某一兴趣爱好。
6. 学会放松
让假期的愉悦延续到新年。要是你觉得工作实在太紧张了，就每天给自己一个小时的时间安静地休息一下，上班前或下班后都行。
回到家，不要马上就看那些恼人的新闻节目，或则翻家里还有什么存货。做些能让自己放松的事情—单人纸牌游戏，字谜游戏，和人打打电话聊聊天。养个宠物也不错，你每天就花一个小时来照顾它。不管你信不信，当你这样做了的时候，你就开始放松了。
7. 善于倾听
但是在你倾听别人之前，你很有可能会发现自己讲的实在太多了。不妨这样问问自己：别人在讲的时候，我是不是就等着什么时候轮到我讲了？要是真这样的话，你就要让自己更卑谦一点，善于倾听别人。可以先从倾听你的伴侣开始。要记住的是：“如果他在听，而且听得很认真，那么那个倾听的人就成了了解你的人。”
只要能做到以上所提到的任何一项决心，你就将拥有一个更美好的人生。随之而来的好处就是你会觉得自己在身心方面正不断进步着，而且你还会想通过其他各种方式来改进自己的人生。一个决心完全有可能带动更多的决心！所以，为了让自己更优秀，不懈努力吧！