Reinventing New Year’s Resolutions

With 2020 behind us, and the New Year of 2021 ahead, many start to plan and set resolutions as a way of starting the year off on the right foot.  The beginning of a new year and a new start can offer us hope to better ourselves. Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions don’t always have a tendency to hold up longer than a few weeks or, if we’re lucky, a few months.  We might get overzealous in our goal-making, burn out quickly when life gets busy or difficult, or run into self-doubt and negative inner voices that force up walls, preventing us from reaching our goals.

Instead of focusing on the thought that we need to “fix” ourselves, let’s resolve to shift our focus outward and lead with generosity for others.  This doesn’t always mean we need to give things away; it’s about being giving of ourselves — our time, our kindness, and our hearts.  When we interact positively with those around us, we are less likely to wallow in dissatisfaction.  Here are some different ways we can shift our attention to focus on others.

Acknowledge Others

Expressing appreciation allows us to feel more connected to the people around us.  It reminds us to live in the moment, placing value on the little things in life that take up a good portion of our days.

Exercise Kindness

By exercising small acts of kindness, we can help alleviate frustration.  Offering kindness may also have a strong effect on those around us, sending them positive energy to help fuel their day.

Offer Grace

When we choose to give grace, we go out of our way to bestow compassion and love towards others, even if they might not appreciate it, or even return the same to us.  Being graceful to others can result in a powerful shift in our mindset, as it serves as a peace offering to those who have wronged us or hurt us.

Let us all make an intentional effort to set our focus on being attentive, kind and gracious to others.  In doing so, we can start to foster true joy in our own lives.  The resolution to be more generous can be fulfilled in countless ways, and we will find that small changes in our daily habits can change our entire world.  When we become more open and generous, the positive response we receive from those around us allows us to open ourselves up to all sorts of new possibilities.

Article provided by Sarah Bradley, Marketing Specialist, Madison County Health Care System, (515) 462-2373, www.madisonhealth.com

Need of a flu shot? Call (515) 462-2950 to schedule an appointment today!