HAPPY 2015! Time for our NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

So we survived Christmas! That's something to be proud of. All those family get-togethers, all that food and drink, the carol singing...That, and the fact that a whole year of our lives is coming to an end, are probably the reasons why the passage from the old year to the new is always a moment for reflection, when we make the resolution to change something in our lives. It is the moment, therefore, for NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!!!

As first things come first, the question now is: What is a New Year's Resolution? This could be a good definition:

"A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. People committing themselves to a New Year's resolution generally plan to do so for the whole following year. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous."

Okay, wait a minute, you must be thinking. What are New Year's Resolutions for? How long do we keep them for? Are they any use at all? Actually, most people don't keep them for long. These are the TOP TEN MOST COMMONLY BROKEN NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS (click on each link to learn the reason why we don't keep them)

1. Lose weight and get fit. 

2. Quit smoking

3. Learn something new

4. Eat healthier and diet

5. Get out of debt and save money

6. Spend more time with family

7. Travel to new places

8. Be less stressed

9. Volunteer

10. Drink less

Maybe we break our resolutions because we don't make them the right way. Here are some suggestions for successful New Year's Resolutions:

• Be realistic by setting achievable goals. Winning the lottery, for example, is out of your grasp.
• Describe your resolutions in specific terms. Instead of "I don't want to be lazy," opt for "I want to exercise regularly" or "I will cut down on my television watching."
• Break down large goals into smaller ones. For instance, commit to losing weight by resolving to join a gym and improve your eating habits.
• Find alternatives to a behavior that you want to change, and make this part of your resolution plan. So you want to quit smoking but you smoked to relax yourself? What other forms of relaxation are available to you?
• Above all, aim for things that are truly important to you, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect of you.

(Many thanks to Rosa Benavides, from the EOI Al Xaraf, in Mairena del Aljarafe (Seville), for her help)

If you prefer to read it, here are 6 ways to make your resolutions stick, according to USA Today:

For more videos, check:

• 12 talks to inspire New Year's Resolutions (with subtitles!!)
• New Year's Resolutions by Dr Mark Evans.

WRITE A COMMENT WITH YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS