Five Resolution Alternatives to Start Your New Year Off Right
New Year’s resolutions have a high potential to fail , and that can make the end of every year a huge bummer instead of a celebration. Don’t stress over resolutions this year, and try these forward-thinking alternatives instead.
Resolutions are frustrating because they’re an “all or nothing” approach to accomplishing goals. But making positive changes in your life isn’t about the end result, it’s about the process. That’s why Jessica Estrada at Apartment Therapy is choosing to prioritize intentions over resolutions.
Intentions are about the present moment, not the shapeless, unknowable future. You stay focused on the how instead of on the pass or fail results. For example, if you want to lose weight, don’t set a goal like “lose 10 pounds.” Make your intention to be more active, or be more mindful of your nutrition. Each day you can ask yourself “How can I be more active than usual today?” Or “How can I eat healthier than I usually do today?” The change you’re after will follow. Plus, you’ll feel a lot less like a failure because you get a fresh start every day, and if you ever slip up or fall behind, you have the opportunity to forgive yourself and start new in the morning.
If you want to be the change you seek, skip the quantifiable goals entirely and choose a theme or “focus word” for your year. For example, Miranda Marquit at MoneyNing is making her theme “growth.” She’s not looking for milestones, just asking herself “How can I grow in my life?” And actress Zoe Saldana is making her theme “open,” choosing to focus on being more open about her feelings to others.
Themes are helpful because you can’t really quantify or track abstract goals like “being a better mother,” or “being a kinder person.” Maybe your theme is something as simple as “kindness,” or maybe “understanding,” if you feel like you get angry at things too quickly. If you were surprised by the presidential election results, you can make this year the year of “perspectives,” and you can find a way to climb out of your echo chamber and begin to understand why things are the way they are. Take the word and print it out or write it down, then put it somewhere you can always see it. Maybe on your computer monitor, above your door, or on your bathroom mirror. It will serve as a memory peg, always reminding you what this year is all about.
Changing for the better doesn’t have to be about you. In fact, the best way to change ourselves is often by doing things for others. Meghan Blalock at Who What Wear suggests you make a commitment to a person instead of creating a goal for yourself. Maybe you have a friend that’s seen better days, or a family member who’s struggling. Or perhaps it’s a good time to start volunteering at that nearby community center or soup kitchen.
Making a commitment to someone doesn’t have to be entirely selfless, though. If there’s something you want to achieve, May McCarthy, author of The Path to Wealth , suggests you spend time with someone who has already done that thing :
Make the new year about others and you might be surprised how far it will take you.
Perhaps you don’t feel the need to make any big changes in your life. That’s perfectly acceptable, especially if you’re already on the right track. Even so, it’s still helpful to use the new year as a landmark on your road to success. Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. , suggests at Psychology Today that you should look back on your favorite memories and triumphs of the past year. Think about all of the times you overcame hardship, solved problems, and came out on top. And don’t forget to track your efforts too , and recognize how hard you worked. It will get you pumped for taking on challenges in the new year.
After you’ve done that, McGonigal recommends you sit down and make a list of five things you think will be highlights in your upcoming year. The events on your list can be as small as you like—fresh episodes of a favorite TV show, a trip, a new video game—just make sure they’re things you’re fairly certain will happen. Expecting a raise, for example, can be exciting, but you’ll be more disappointed if it doesn’t happen. So, don’t worry about lofty goals. Look back and realize how awesome you are, then think about how awesome things will be.
If you absolutely must have a measurable, quantifiable goal of some kind, think of something simple. Take your resolution, break it into small, achievable parts , then toss the resolution in the trash and forget about it.
For example, one of my big goals right now is to learn Japanese, which is a massive undertaking. So I’ve broken it all down into approachable pieces. My only goal right now is to learn Hiragana, one of the Japanese alphabets, by the end of January. Then my next goal will be to learn Katakana by the end of February, then get into vocabulary in the spring, and so on. Eventually, the whole “learn Japanese” thing will happen. Maybe not by the end of this year, but that doesn’t matter when you’re making real, measurable progress toward your goals.
Illustration by Sam Woolley. Photos by greg westfall , Colleen McMahon , SJU , Jrwooley6 ,
Ferrous Büller.
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【ラスベガス＝中西豊紀】トランプ次期米大統領は３日、自身のツイッター上に「米ゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）が米国で売るメキシコ製『シボレー・クルーズ』には高関税をかけてやる」との声明を投稿した。米フォード・モーターがメキシコ工場新設撤回を発表する直前の投稿で、ＧＭにも生産の海外移転を見直すよう圧力をかける狙いがあるとみられる。 
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【ワシントン時事】米国の第１１５連邦議会が３日、招集された。２０日にトランプ次期大統領が就任すれば、共和党が１０年ぶりにホワイトハウスと上下両院を握る。同党は２年間の会期中、医療保険制度改革（オバマケア）をはじめ、オバマ大統領が進めてきた政策の転換に全力を挙げる方針だ。 共和党は２日、下院に置かれた政治倫理監視機関の権限を弱める議案を３日に採決することを決定。しかし、トランプ氏は同日正午の招集直前、ツイッターで「倫理監視機関の弱体化を優先事項にする必要があるのか」と党の対応を疑問視し、「税制改革、医療保険、はるかに重要な他のたくさんの課題に集中せよ」と呼び掛けた。 これを受け、同党は急きょ会議を開き、議案を取り下げることを決めた。「共和党に対するトランプ氏の影響力」（米メディア）をはっきりと示した形だ。 新議会の勢力は昨年１１月の上下両院選を受け、上院（１００議席）が共和５２、民主４８（無所属を含む）、下院（４３５議席）が共和２４１、民主１９４。招集後、下院は議長選で共和党のライアン氏を再選し、上院では同党のエンジ予算委員長がオバマケア廃止に向けた議案を提出した。 共和党はトランプ氏の就任初日に一部の閣僚人事を承認するため、来週にも上院で公聴会をスタートさせたい考えだ。（2017/01/04-06:13）
【1月4日 AFP】ナチス・ドイツ（ Nazi ）の指導者アドルフ・ヒトラー（ Adolf Hitler ）の著書「わが闘争（ Mein Kampf ）」を第2次世界大戦（ World War II ）後初めてドイツ国内で再出版したミュンヘン（ Munich ）の現代史研究所（ IfZ ）は3日、同著が予想外のベストセラーとなったと発表した。 
東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故で、横浜市に自主避難してきた生徒がいじめを受けていた問題で、当時の対応を検証する検討委員会は、ことし３月までに結果をまとめることにしていますが、関係者の聞き取りの進め方など具体的な方法は決まっておらず、どこまで踏み込んだ検証が行われるのか注目されます。 この問題は、原発事故で福島県から横浜市に自主避難してきた現在中学１年の男子生徒が、転校してきた小学校でいじめを受けていたもので、学校や市の教育委員会の当時の対応を検証する検討委員会が設置されています。 検討委員会は、これまでに２回の会合を開き、学校と教育委員会の当時のやり取りを検証するなどして、３月までに結論を出す方針を確認しています。 関係者への聞き取りについて、委員会内には「必要があれば行うが、これまでの資料で事実関係を確認するだけで十分だ」という意見もあり、聞き取りの対象を含めた具体的な検証方法は決まっていません。 一方で生徒側は「真相を究明する姿勢で検証してほしい」として、いじめと認めなかった経緯を明らかにするために、関係者への聞き取りを強く求めていて、どこまで踏み込んだ検証が行われるのか注目されます。
Angreifer Smail Morabit verlässt den Fußball-Zweitligisten 1. FC Heidenheim und schließt sich dem Drittligisten FSV Frankfurt an. Das gaben beide Vereine am Dienstagabend bekannt. Nach Angaben der Frankfurter unterschrieb der gebürtige Franzose mit marokkanischen Wurzeln für zweieinhalb Jahre. 
Der Tunesier stehe im Verdacht, von den Anschlagsplänen auf den Berliner Weihnachtsmarkt gewusst zu haben, sagt die Bundesanwaltschaft. Ein weiterer Mann ist ebenfalls im Visier der Ermittler.
Die Polizei hat in Berlin die Wohnungen von mutmaßlichen Kontaktpersonen des Attentäters von Berlin, Amri, durchsucht. Die beiden hätten in zeitlicher Nähe zu dem Anschlag möglicherweise Kontakt zu Amri gehabt, teilte die Bundesanwaltschaft mit.
