1. Lead a more compassionate life for people.
Change your schedule a bit this new year, and find time to donate or volunteer to causes and organizations that benefit less fortunate human beings. Habitat for humanity is a great cause, and there is actually a women's build group in town where I live in Florida, and each weekend they work on building a house for someone in need. I haven't had the time yet, but do plan to MAKE the time to help out with at least one build this year. You can donate old clothes and household items to the needy (look up donation organizations in your area!) especially if you know you won't use it but someone else will! Salvation Army, Amvets, Goodwill, Hospice thrift stores and others help provide jobs and help out worthy causes by selling your used items. You can also help by shopping at these places too (for the best deals ever while helping someone out)! I donated my wedding dress after I came to terms that I was moving, had no room for it, and obviously will never have a need to wear it again. This will make a big difference in the life of someone else. A friend told me about an awesome organization called PACE center for girls near where I live, which helps out teenagers that are in tough situations and it helps get them back on the right track. I've been adding to a big bag of clothes each time I clean out my closet, and I'm planning to donate to them since I know these girls will really appreciate it. These are just a few inspirational ideas, but by finding ways to help out real people, you'll feel good for making a difference in the lives of others, and it's a good wake up call for all the great things you have in your life that you may tend to take for granted.
2. Lead a more compassionate life for animals.
Help pets! If you love animals, this is an excellent resolution. There are so many ways to help improve the life of animals that need it. Volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue. They are limited on funding and most of the success of them rehoming animals comes from monetary donations, and donations of hard work and time. Spend a few hours a week, or even just once a month helping out and it can make a difference in the lives of the animals that desperately need homes. Also consider donating. The way I do it, is by taking a percentage of my artwork that I sell and donate it to animal shelters or wildlife organizations so I'm helping animals in need, making a bit of money, and doing something I enjoy too. Start a fundraiser. Carwashes, open mic nights, etc. are great ways to be social with friends, and contribute to a great cause by charging guests money but explaining that the proceeds all go to help animals. Better yet, adopt a new pet this year! Please do not shop or buy from pet stores (where most pets come from puppy mills- the factory farms of dogs) or from breeders, which displaces more pets into shelters, where millions die every year. You can find purebred dogs or cats through rescues, petfinder.com or even at the shelter if you're lucky. But bear in mind, mutts and mixed breeds tend to be healthy with less genetic disorders (and cute!) and make some of the best pets of all! Other pet species that are not dogs or cats can also be found and adopted off of pet-finder; most of my reptiles have been adopted from places or people where they weren't being taken care of or were unwanted.
Be aware of what you eat. Besides companion animals in need, we often forget about the tortures of factory farming- where most meat and dairy comes from. You may not feel any personal connection to a cow, pig, goat, sheep or chicken- but seriously, if you had any idea what goes on inside a slaughterhouse you would probably feel sick enough to stop eating meat and dairy. As they say, if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian, so don't be ignorant by choosing not to know so you can enjoy the conveniences of eating the carcass of cruelty. Most factory farms are not up to code with animal welfare regulations, animals live a long horrible life behind bars crammed in with other animals where they attack each other, have their babies taken from them, and where they can't even stand up or turn around. Imagine your pet living a life like this. Workers throw, smash, kick, punch and beat animals to death (if the animals are lucky) or just for fun, so the animals continue to suffer with broken bones, open wounds and excruciating pain. The killing part is even worse... it's torturous and cruel- animals are hanging or guided through an assembly line where they smell the death and fear of those before them. There are so many animals and the goals of saving money mean that most animals do not get the luxury of being killed instantly. Many animals don't die right away and continue to be "processed" (boiled, skinned alive, thrown around, etc.) while still alive! Is that the kind of meat you want to be eating? Many people are shocked when they learn the truth of factory farms. Where have you thought your food comes from? And why would humans be compassionate in the meat industry when all they are after is making money and seeing these animal carcasses as inventory and profit. Meat eaters often tease vegetarians. Why do you think people go vegetarian?? This is why. Dairy isn't harmless either. In order for cows to produce milk, they need to get pregnant and have babies, which are immediately stolen from them and tortured to become veal. Mothers cry for their babies, just like human mothers wouldn't want their babies stolen from them, and are beaten and abused by annoyed and careless workers for making noise. Their udders are torn apart by milking machines, and they often get swollen and painful with mastitis. Do you know how much gross puss, blood, and other excrements wind up in your milk? Of course you wouldn't.. because once it's homogenized, you wouldn't have a clue what else is blended in there. Milk creates all dairy products; ice cream, cheese, yogurt, etc... so bear in mind what you're really eating when you eat dairy. THIS is why people go vegan. If you don't want to go vegetarian or vegan, there are still plenty of ways to help. By just eating less dairy or meat than you usually do, you can have less of an impact, and still save animals. By getting local animal products from local farms (make sure you ask plenty of questions to confirm it is NOT factory-farmed meat or dairy) you can support smaller businesses where their animals are better taken care of. Keeping kosher, which many believe is not necessarily a "less cruel" practice of slaughtering animals. I've seen videos of kosher meat facilities and they were just as bad if not worse than the rest of factory farms. The only difference is they have a law of how animals must be killed, with a slit in their throat perhaps, but until their throat is slit, I've seen footage of them being abused, kept in horrible conditions, and even having their organs ripped out of their bodies while still alive. Sickening. Cage-free? This means nothing.. except instead of being crammed in tiny cages, egg-laying hens are kept in a small dirty room with their beaks chopped off to keep them from pecking at each other, where male chicks are ground up alive because they aren't needed as egg layers, and in unbearable living conditions too. Free-range is a better option, but as marketing often lies, I advise getting your eggs straight from the source, so you KNOW where your food comes from; like from a local farmers market, butcher or pick them up from a farm itself. Many people these days have egg-laying hens as pets, so ask around.. many people have more eggs than they know what to do with and would be glad to share. I apologize for being graphic.. people get sick and don't want to hear it, but if it affects you so much, what is your excuse for still supporting it by eating animal products? Please take this seriously if you love animals, and consider making some changes this New Year, even if they are small. I promise, going vegan isn't hard, I've been vegetarian fully for 3 years now, and am excited to dive into the plunge of giving up dairy. If you can cook, and like trying new things, you'll find being vegetarian or vegan a much healthier alternative to meat and dairy anyway (and way more delicious!). There are PLENTY of plant based protein options you may have never thought of. When eating out, consider trying a vegetarian or vegan option on the menu (google vegetarian restaurants to try new places to eat when going out!) since you don't always know where the meat comes from in restaurants (usually factory farms since it's cheapest).
Also opt away from using cruel products... such as wearing furs and leathers.. as these animals are tortured as well, and often skinned while they are still alive! Most of the leather and fur that comes from china is actually from cats and dogs. If you think this doesn't apply to you because you don't where fur.. where do you think your Uggs came from sweetheart? Your soaps, body products, makeup, household cleaners.. a majority of them are tested on animals. You may not care too much about mice but did you know many are tested on rabbits, dogs, cats, monkeys.. and more? Check the labels for "Cruelty-free"- or stick to organic products all together. My favorite cruelty-free makeups are Wet n wild, E.L.F, and Urban Decay. My favorite household products are Trader Joe's brand, and the rest we just try to stick to organic if we can. You can even make your own household cleaners out of vinegar to avoid using harmful chemicals that were tested on animals!
3. Be positive
Here's a less graphic and more happy note of living life.. than having to accept the cruelty of the world's animal industries. No matter how rough things are for you in your life, always remember that someone somewhere has got it worse than you. Be thankful for what you HAVE, instead of focusing on what you don't. To avoid rewriting my optimist crash course post, read it if you need some guidance on being more positive this year. I promise you'll feel inspired :)
This is for the people I know and love that have been hurt. When people bring you down, hurt you, strip you of your happiness, wish you dead, you need to MOVE ON. There are horrible horrible people in this world. Ones that wish bad things on other people and feel satisfied from it. Ones that go out of their way to ruin your life and send you negative vibes and energy. If you're being bullied you need to block them from your life and cut ties completely. Why spend your valuable time or breath on someone who doesn't deserve it. Do not reach out to them. Do not even try. Because when people turn evil, they will never change, but only suck the life out of you the more you try to fix things. Please, you do not have to ever forgive, but you need to do your best to FORGET. Forget about them. Move on. Live your life. Move on. Find distractions. Talk to a therapist. Talk to a friend. Vent, and THEN move on!!! You're only letting them win by letting them get the best of you. The more satisfied they are as you can't get them out of your head and can't let yourself move on and live for yourself, but spend your time revolving your life around them. Your life has a time limit. Time is priceless. Don't waste a second of it on a worthless person, even if it's just thinking about them, crying over them, or obsessing over the past that you can't change. MOVE ON! We all know someone who has been affected by someone horrible, so let's find the compassion in ourselves this year to help THEM make the resolution of moving on.
4. Find eco-friendly alternatives to help the planet and have less of an impact.
I started a series of blogs on "going green" and you can check them out in the right sidebar on my blog by clicking "going green". I'm pulling easy tips from a book I've been reading about making small changes for the environment in every day living. From DIY projects out of recycled materials, to turning off the lights when you're not using them, to planting a garden, to going paperless, to reducing carbon emissions, to tips on how to save energy and prevent waste and much more, you can try a new improvement every day to help save our planet, since a majority of the 7 billion people living on it could care less and are the main cause of us destroying it.
5. Focus on health.
Now is the time to make all the changes you avoid the rest of the year. Sign up for a gym and GO. It's important to love yourself how you are, but if you hate when you see when you look in the mirror or hate what you look like in pictures, then it's time to make a change. Try taking classes, like zumba, or bootcamp that are more fun and motivating than sitting on a machine and wondering what the hell you should be doing with it! Go on walks, go on hikes, go on bike rides. Avoid driving places when it's not that far away. Appreciate the outdoors and take advantage of having legs and being able to use them! When you're feeling lazy, envision yourself as a prisoner to yourself, in a possibly future accident where you lose your legs and have no mobility or independence like you had when you DID have legs. Keep in mind, this possibility has happened to people and could happen to you. Take advantage of your legs NOW and be active! Focus on eating healthy, and reading ingredient labels of what is in your food. Make sure you're getting enough protein every day, and getting enough water. Not all countries have easy access to clean drinking water, so take advantage of the fact that you do!! You should be drinking close to a gallon of water EVERY day! Break this up into a 4-6 reusable 20 oz water bottles (I use 2 Tervis water bottles and fill each up 2-3 times while at work). Please filter your water to avoid wasting plastic bottles which I could write an entire blog about how bad they are for the environment. Filling landfills, killing animals, or taking twice the energy to recycle than to make a whole new bottle. Fill your reusable bottles with tap water, or filtered water, and make a goal to drink to a certain line on the bottle by each hour. If you don't have access to a bathroom all day, take advantage and drink more when you do! It takes about 20 mins-1 hour for your bladder to process the water so bear this in mind for convenience. Drinking water will make you feel better, help keep you energized (without caffeine surprisingly.. it works for me!!) and even has crazy benefits such as getting rid of cellulite! For tips on being healthy, check out my series of blogs by clicking "healthy life" on the right for plenty of tips on creating a more healthy lifestyle for yourself with healthy habits. Remember.. exercise and eating right are the biggest lifestyle changes and some of the biggest challenges. You just gotta do it! Get a buddy to make some changes with you so you can be on board together and be a good support team to one another.
6. Do the things you love!
If you love cooking, kill two birds with one stone (eat more healthy and get to show off your culinary skills) by making the time to cook dinner every single night. Leftovers make good lunches for the next day or you can take the extra time to prep a lunch for each day or even ahead of time for the whole week. Preparing your own food means you know what's in it and it's much easier to control what you're putting into your body.
If you love reading, get out some of those books you've had sitting on the shelf for years that you're dying to read. Put aside the time to read just one chapter per day so it won't seem like a hassle to fit it into a busy schedule. On your lunch break, right before bed, or even waking up a little early to read before getting out of bed can help you feel like you have some time to get engrossed in your favorite novel, and incorporate a new hobby into your day. Get books from the library or borrow from a friend to save paper if you don't have an app or kindle for this.
If you love making art, make a new resolution to make all your birthday and holiday gifts this year. If you're busy, it's smart to make them ahead of time so you don't procrastinate and get stuck buying an impersonal gift at the last minute. Homemade gifts are much more personal, customized, and can help save you money while giving you a purpose to get in touch with your creative side. Pinterest is a great way to find DIY projects, but also keep in mind repurposing old household items by painting them or redecorating them, by making paintings, drawings, and homemade cards, by making a collage of pictures or decorating a picture frame, homemade soaps, body scrubs or candles; the options are endless.
If you love photography keep your camera on you and take pictures wherever you go. Print them, and use them as gifts for people. Frame them or make cards out of them. Make a big collage on your wall. Frame them and sell them on Etsy. Start a blog or website specifically to showing them off.
If you love writing or sharing creative ideas you have on other subjects, start a blog, like I did! Here you can show off your own ideas, keep it centralized to one subject matter or topic or you can have a series of ideas categorized like I do. Think of something you love that others would enjoy reading. This can be recipes and step by steps on how to cook and prepare foods, different DIY projects, gardening, pets, sports, books, travel, your job, photographs you take, basically ANYTHING! A good way to just let out your thoughts, share with others, and even come back and reread your blogs to see how much you've mentally and creatively grown and to track your thought processes and ideas over time. It's a very productive way to let out your thoughts and creative energies.
7. Stay connected with family and friends.
This is a big one for me, as I tend to get so caught up in my busy life I forget to reach out and stay connected to people. It's very easy to do especially when you move far away, or if people you love move far away from you. With today's technology, between FaceTime, skyping, ichat, texting, phones, Facebook etc. there is no excuse! I fall behind on this because I don't like talking on the phone, so I try to text or connect through Facebook to stay in touch with everyone I love, but I do want to make a resolution to make "face to face contact" to those far away with FaceTime more often, since I rarely ever use it. My grandma is just learning to use FaceTime, so this is a big improvement in ways for me to stay in touch with her long distance. If there isn't much to catch up about, you can send a friend an interesting article you came across, send them an old picture you found, or anything that is personal to someone you've lost touch with as a way to reconnect without even having to say much.
8. Be more financially mindful.
If you are on a budget or need to watch your spending, the start of a new year may be a great time to make this change. Write out a budget in a spreadsheet or handwritten on paper, including everything you spend, on average each month. Don't forget food shopping, rent, utilities, phone bill, internet, cable, car insurance, car payments, gas, pleasure shopping, travel expenses, household needs, pet expenses, landscaping, getting your nails done, you daily starbucks run etc. You must include every little thing you spend money on!
Decide what of these things you can possibly live without. Can you do your own nails? Can you make coffee at home and bring to work in a thermos? (Starbucks is loaded with extra sugar and calories anyway!!! Try making an energy smoothie in the morning instead, or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water with a handful of chia seeds for a natural, caffeine free energy boost!) If you're trying to eat healthy, try cooking more at home to save money on eating out, and try passing on buying junk food when you food shop. Never go food shopping when hungry! Maybe pay a neighborhood kid who needs money to mow your lawn instead of an expensive lawn service. See if your car insurance has a Drivewise or similar option to help get extra discounts on your regular insurance rate. Make your own gifts if you're crafty, and buy from thrift stores if you're thrifty. Stay busy doing "free" activities (look at some of the resolutions above on getting in tune with your hobbies!) to avoid unnecessarily pleasure shopping and unnecessary spending. Ride a bike, walk, or take public transportation places to save money on gas and to help reduce carbon emissions. Cancel old magazine subscriptions and charges on your credit card you forgot that renew regularly and drain your money. Shop local at farmers markets to get fresher produce and higher quality wholesome foods that are better for you, and save you money (also helps avoid the unnecessary junk food aisles and the grabbing of other things you don't need)! If you don't really watch TV much, ditch your cable and stick to Netflix which is less costly and has plenty of shows and movies on it. Rent movies from your local library or Redbox instead of spending 10 bucks/person to go on a movie date. Plan dates at home or that involve enjoying nature to save money too. Collect coupons when you can and make sure you use them. Turn down your thermostat a bit in the winter and turn it up in the summer. Every degree makes a difference in your utility bill. Be creative and really think how to budget better if spending money is a problem for you.
Many of these resolutions can be combined to target many goals you have this year and hit multiple categories of improving this upcoming year for a bigger and better 2015!! I hope you find some of these ideas inspiring, and hope to truly make some positive differences in your life, for YOU! Let me know what you think and feel free to share some of your New Year's resolutions! :) Enjoy!
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