Making a New Year’s Resolution?
December 29th, 2011The countdown is just around the corner.
As we head into 2012, many of us will vow to make the new year better by changing something about ourselves. Unfortunately, most of us will not follow through.
Before you make your 2012 New Year’s resolutions, take a look at this list of the Top 10 Most Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions, courtesy of Time.com:
- Lose Weight and Get Fit. After a season of cookies, candies and holiday parties, it’s only natural to want to shed a few extra pounds and get into better shape. But research shows that by February, 60% of gym memberships go unused.
- Quit Smoking. E-cigarettes, nicotine patches and chewing gum are all designed to help newly motivated smokers kick the habit. But after just six months, only an estimated 15% of quitters are still cigarette-free.
- Learn Something New. If you’re thinking of taking up a musical instrument or learning to cook French cuisine, know that you’ll face an uphill battle. Resolving to learn something new is exciting, but it’s also hard work.
- Eat Healthier and Diet. Many dieters are full of resolve on January 2nd. Unfortunately, they force themselves into restricting diets they can’t possible keep. Try using some common-sense moderation, instead, and you’re much more likely to succeed.
- Get Out of Debt and Save Money. After the budget-unfriendly month of December, many consumers try to halt their spending and manage their debt more effectively. Rather than announcing sweeping changes and setting unattainable goals, however, financial planners advise making specific budget-friendly rules (like packing lunch, shopping for cheaper insurance/lower credit card interest rates, etc.) to improve your financial situation.
- Spend More Time with Family. The beginning of the year is an ideal time to reconnect with family whom you’ve not seen in awhile. But work pressures, physical distance, strained relationships and even messy divorces make this resolution particularly hard to keep.
- Travel to New Places. The new year awakens within many of us a desire to travel. The financial realities of the Great Recession, the headache of planning and the difficulty of finding help to tend to your home and pets can quickly put this desire to rest.
- Be Less Stressed. While it’s not a bad idea – less stress can make you healthier and happier – stressing less is likely to be the very first resolution you’ll break. Case in point? Just thinking about tackling any resolution will raise your stress level!
- Volunteer. This year, you may resolve to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate than you. While this is certainly a noble gesture, even the most compassionate among us can fall back on commitments. Finding time to give to a worthy cause is often harder than finding money.
- Drink Less. After a seemingly endless barrage of parties filled with beer, wine, champagne and cocktails, it’s not surprising that many of us vow to drink less. But after a few days or week, why do we start drinking again? The Greco-Roman ancients may have said it best when they proclaimed “In vino veritas” (in wine, there is truth).
From all of us at Berks & Beyond, have a safe, happy, healthy and successful New Year!