I know, I know, it’s not January 1^st.  It’s the 23^rd, but I don’t think one has the time to think and decide on New Year’s resolutions between Christmas and New Year’s. Plus, if they’re going to mean anything and be successful, a little thought and planning has to go into them.  So, here we go.  A goal and a resolution are not the same thing. Your list might/should contain both. According to google, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. Whereas a goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

Did you know the top two resolutions, eating better and exercising more, are the same year after year? Eating better and exercising more are great resolutions, but if you really accomplished them, they wouldn’t appear on your list the following year and the year after that. So why not think outside the box and shake it up. Here are five ideas to get you started on a new path to a New Year. Let’s make 2018 meaningful!

Set a goal to spend less time on your phone.  Imagine this – a free moment arises and you don’t reach for your phone to troll Pinterest, Facebook, read the news, get the latest sports scores, etc. It’s okay to be bored!  Boredom leads to creativity.  The most successful people aren’t catching up on their Instagram feed; they’re reading a book, writing down ideas, talking, thinking, problem solving, the list goes on. We’re not very productive if we’re wasting time. Less is more – less time wasted on your device is more time for something meaningful (like working on one of your New Year’s goals).

Choose to ignore political divisiveness.  I’m not saying not to be politically involved or not to have a political opinion on important issues. But I am saying think for yourself. I am suggesting that you become informed on all viewpoints. Get civically engaged at a local level. Read and/or listen to conflicting media outlets. Choose people over politics. There is a good quality or trait about everybody – yes, even Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.  Look for the good in others – better yet, choose to see the good in others regardless of their political views.  Listen and think.  Each side wants you to believe there is only one right way to see the world.  Rise above the culture of hate that the media wants you to believe is plaguing our country.

Do something new.  Face a fear. These could be the same thing.  Often it is the fear of failure that keeps us from trying something new. Learning a new language is fun and exciting, right? Right, that is until you want or need to speak it out loud and are afraid of messing up or sounding silly. One year I set a goal to go backpacking. It seemed simple enough, but since I’d never done it, it was quite overwhelming to try to fit 2-3 days of food and supplies plus my shelter all in a bag under a set weight that I could carry on my back for 5-10 miles per day. It’s never easy to try something new – it takes a little extra work to get there.  It was an exhilarating feeling to know that I carried everything on my back that I needed to survive for several days in the wilderness (I did lose my bear spray somewhere along the trail). Self-confidence grows when we stretch ourselves.

Give thanks daily.  We think of being thankful a lot more during November and December. What if we tried to be grateful daily all year long? Studies have shown a link between gratitude and happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happier. It seems that is kind of the drive behind resolutions and goals. Of course, there is a difference between lasting joy and things that make us temporarily happy, but that’s for another blog. We all know that person whose life keeps handing them lemons and yet, they always make lemonade. According to Harvard Health, gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Prayer, meditation, and pondering are great ways to express gratitude. Have you ever stopped to ponder how lucky you are to live in the United States of America regardless of the current political climate? I know there are very few days I don’t expressly think how lucky I am to live in beautiful Western Montana despite all its weather woes. If those methods aren’t up your alley, take a few minutes each day and list five things you are thankful for that day. Write a thank you note and mail it via snail mail. Thank someone in person for something you normally wouldn’t – like the person bagging your groceries. Make a gratitude list and post it somewhere you’ll see it often.  Have an attitude of gratitude and you will see the difference it makes in your life.

Set a goal to be in the present. Always in a hurry? Slow down, look around you. Use your five senses. Think of all the wonderful things you miss in life when you’re only thinking about the next task or what you have going on tomorrow. What does it mean to be present? Well, start small, when you are having a conversation with someone, make eye contact, don’t check your phone, or think about what you’ll say next. Listen. If you’re playing blocks with your daughter, don’t try to multi-task and clean up the books.  Enjoy her excitement for each block that gets stacked and her laughter when the tower falls down. If you’re a hiker, don’t be so focused on how fast you can get to the lake, pause and look for the bird whose call you don’t recognize or sit on the side of the trail and enjoy the view for a few minutes. I’m a destination focused kind of person, especially when it comes to physical activity. One of my hiking friends is slow, not because she can’t move faster, but because she is enjoying the journey. She is the one to see the moose through the trees or the eaglets in the nest. It’s been overused, but the joy really is in the journey, not the destination (Nichols’ family road trips can verify this). So the next time you find yourself thinking about the next task in the future, STOP, and be in the moment – both physically and mentally.

Take the rest of January to really think about the improvements you’d like to see in your life. Dig deeper. Sure, eating healthier and exercising more will help us to feel better, look better, and improve our mood – which does lead to some happiness, but I challenge you to look at life differently this year. Make 2018 your year to be more productive, kinder, adventurous, grateful, and present!  Happy New Year.

About the Author:

Nicole Post.  Growing up in Arizona at 7,000 feet elevation, Nicole has always been most at home in the mountains with their seasons and outdoor adventures.  Home was the main lodge of a 14-cabin property that her family owned and ran as a family business. It was there she learned how to work hard and gained people skills, all while having the outdoors as her playground. College took her to the University of Arizona in Tucson where she completed her degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. During those four years, she eventually found the beauty of the desert, but couldn’t wait to escape the heat and the city. Life took Nicole and her husband to Missoula to look at the University of Montana and on the first step off the plane, she knew this was the place. It was love. In August 2003, one U-Haul, one truck, one horse, and two little boys drove into the five-valleys area known as Missoula to embark on a new adventure. 15 years and two more kids later, she still calls the Bitterroot Valley home (just south of Missoula). In her spare time if it exists, she likes to hike, cross country ski, snowboard, read, practice yoga, run, quilt and try new things.