The craziness of Christmas shopping and deciding what to do for New Year’s Eve is now behind us. Finally, we can concentrate on how to make 2020 a year to remember, or at least to enjoy.
Just a quick note before we get into the resolutions for happy living.
This is a very special year for me because I will turn 50. I can hardly believe it!
Although today’s ’50s may be the new 30’s, one’s life experience at fifty is twenty years longer than that of any thirty-year-old. That cannot be shortened!
For this reason, I decided to write a post with my top 10 resolutions for happy living, based on my half-century life wisdom (laughs!).
1 – FORGIVE
I have found that one of the most toxic, corroding and detrimental things for our health is to hold grudges. When I say health, I mean mental, but also physical health.
So many family members and good friends grow apart due to misunderstandings, greed, and pride. Now, let’s start with the premise that no one is perfect and that we are here to learn and evolve. Under that perspective, some people are ahead of the game on the journey of personal and spiritual growth.
Knowing that, should we keep our hearts so hardened that our feelings turn against us?
At the end of the day, life on this planet is too short and too many times I have heard, and thought, “what if I had…”.
Even if someone is no longer around (in your life, or on this planet), just forgive, release your heart, and move on.
When my father passed away, exactly two years ago, he departed without my forgiveness. Although I think of myself as evolved in the matters of judgement, when he passed I discovered I was wrong. It took me two years to let go of all hurt he caused my mother, and me. Only recently did I release my heart from that pain. It felt like taking off a heavy coat.
2 – TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH
Health is wealth. It really is. If you are not healthy you cannot perform from a physical and mental perspective.
In order to keep a healthy body, here are the recommendations of the WHO – World Health Organization: 12 Steps to eating healthy, by the World Health Organization.
At a mental level, my first suggestion is to meditate. If you haven’t done it before, it may be a bit of a challenge to keep the mind silent. The good news is that it is a question of practice.
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, by Thich Nhat Hanh, will help you get started .
The YouTube channel Great Meditation is good to get you get started with short 10-minute guided meditations.
3 – MAKE TIME FOR SELF-CARE
Too often we forget about ourselves. We are so involved with daily responsibilities that our needs get tossed aside. But as the saying goes, “no one will take care of ourselves unless we do”.
Pick whatever makes your heart sing and make time for it, even if it is only once a week.
Whether it is going to a SPA or having a home-made-SPA-session, reading a book, gardening, taking a walk in nature, you name it.
I am talking about “me time”.
Get creative and “Enjoy Your Whole Self”!
4 – MAKE TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
I believe most people will agree that a very important source of happiness is healthy relationships.
We are social beings who function better with a support system, and this support system comes from our relationships.
Having lived away from my home country from the age of eight, I grew up in a small family environment. Consequently, at a very early age, I understood the importance of having good friends around. As a result, I made sure I nourished the friendships that counted. Nowadays, I am blessed with an incredible group of very good friends.
Remember, true friendships are like plants. If you water them they grow beautifully and will always put a smile on your face when you need.
5 – BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
It could be something someone asks you to do, maybe it is an action you witness and don’t agree with. Or even something outrageous someone says.
Anything that goes against your will, values and beliefs should not be pursued.
React, reject, defend, scream, shout, and call for help, do whatever necessary, but back away from it.
Apathy and indifference do come back to haunt your peace.
Don’t go with the wrong flow!
6 – COMMIT TO CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT
You can improve your knowledge on subjects you are already familiar with or challenge yourself with new ones.
When you learn, you get a feeling of accomplishment and increased self-worth. It’s good for your ego, in a constructive way, but it is also good for your self.
Knowledge broadens horizons, opens doors and may bring new opportunities.
Read more books, take more courses, read more articles, go back to school, ask people who know about what you want to learn.
Here’s a tip. I recently started taking MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) about nutrition, on edX. This is a platform created by Harvard and MIT to “democratize” education. EdX offers online courses from top universities worldwide, giving access to free or paid (certified) courses. Even if you only choose the free version you can still access very valuable information.
7 – WORK ON YOUR LOVE RELATIONSHIP
After many failed relationships, for different reasons, the most important thing I have learned is that no relationship is easy.
Successful relationships require commitment. They are a flow of giving and taking, forgiving and forgetting, pushing and pulling.
All this takes a lot of energy and is only worth it when the relationship is worth it. If you believe your relationship is worth it fight for it, otherwise let it go and make space for something better.
Another thing I have learned about love relationships is that time heals, if not all, most things.
(Want to lean a thing or two about the differences between men and women? Read the book below.)
8 – BE KIND
Acts of kindness are a two-way gift. They make the subject of our kindness happy, but they also make you happy.
Kindness is reflected in thoughts, words and actions and it can be expressed in various ways that impact others. It can be expressed at home, at work, in school, through charity, in traffic and so many other ways.
Try wishing good morning to a stranger, with a big smiling on your face.
9 – CONNECT TO YOUR SPIRITUALITY
No matter how sceptical I had been in the past there came a moment in my life when faith subtly settled in.
When that happened, the burdens of life became lighter and dark spaces opened up to the light. Most importantly, I started to believe in the possibility of a brighter future and gradually developed an optimistic mind-set.
Hence, a fundamental resolution for happy living is to connect to your spirituality, in whichever way works for you.
10 – PLAN A TRIP
Now, this is my favourite. Talk about trips and I’m already packed!
Trips can be therapeutic, as they are an opportunity to disconnect and relax.
Keep in mind that trips don’t necessarily need to be like a Jules Verne excursion. Instead, they can be a short weekend getaway, or even a day out to clear your head.
As you may know from our Travel Channel and Travel Adventures, in the past years we have taken long exciting trips. However, there have been times when our so-called trips were just a day out at the beach. But boy did we make the best of it!
Our beach picnics, with crystal Champaign glasses included, used to look like a setting out of a lifestyle magazine!
Whether you are planning a day trip or a long trip, enjoy the process. Make it special by planning in advance, enjoying the travel and each moment you are there. Why not journal about is? Who knows, you may even get a taste for it and eventually start your own travel blog!
Plan an unforgettable trip
FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Our happiness comes from the balance of various aspects of our lives. In general terms, these include personal, professional, financial, relationships, community, and spiritual aspects.
Finding balance in all of these angles of our lives is imperative to living in harmony. Thus, it is good practice to set resolutions at the beginning of the year to be clear about what we wish to accomplish.
I hope this list of suggested resolutions sheds light into a joyful life and a Happy New year.
May The Bliss be with you,
Luciana
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Perfect, Lu!
Thank you for the support Maria!