New Year Resolutions

The initial New Year Days have come and gone and I have not come up with any new year resolutions this year. People have been telling me that making new year resolutions are a waste of time and effort because 1) you won't remember them, and 2) you won't keep them. That is mostly true. Every year, I have resolved to lose weight. Look at me. I probably lose like 2 kg in total in the last 10 years. So ya, new year resolution may not be worthy of my efforts but it will give me some focus and purpose for the year ahead. Without a road map at hand, we end up walking in all sorts of directions.

I have searched the web for some popular new year resolutions for inspiration. Here are some:

- Wear sunscreen - Protects the skin from frying and developing wrinkles.

- Pick up a sport/start an exercise regime - As we age, our metabolism will drop and our muscles will deteriorate, so without exercise, we are asking for trouble.

- Maintain a healthy weight - Enough said.

- Live to a budget - Do we really need that crystal hair clip or another pair of black shoes? I discover that usually if you wait a week, you don't really want the thing anymore. But if you still want it, get it!

- Make a date with my sweetheart regularly - My hubby started this ritual 10 years ago when my elder prince was born. Every Friday, he would bring me out without the princes. We may not be doing anything exciting all the time, but it gives us some space for couple time. It takes effort to maintain this ritual though.

- Choose a role model & then think, “What Would ____ Do?” - Make sure you choose the right one though.

- Every day, pay someone a compliment or do something that makes someone happy - This one is not easy to do in Singapore. But there is always someone doing something worth applauding - whether it’s the bus driver who is polite & smiley, or your kid trying to cheer you up. Tell them how much you appreciate it.

- Read - I'm not an NLB ambassador but I believe that reading feeds the soul. There is a Chinese saying that goes something like, "one day of not reading makes your appearance hateful." I guess it's saying that if you do not cultivate your inner being , your attitudes and behaviour just shows.

- Pray/ Self-reflect - It makes no sense to go through a wonderful life journey without assessing how you are faring and how you can make it better. For me, praying and self-reflecting are important things that I need to do. But having said that, too much inner-searching can be harmful when we become self-critical. So...

- Cut myself some slack - We all make boos boos and sometimes huge ones but we should get up, dust ourselves off, repair/ contain the damage and let's just move on.