Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.
When I was a young girl I would work so hard on making a list of New Year's Resolutions and then trying to make it all happen all on my own only to give up after a few weeks. Probably around the time I went to college I just stopped making these resolutions because I felt like it was a waste of time since I would always fail and give up after such a short time. I found this on the internet and thought it was kind of funny to see what Americans these days are trying to overcome. I'll end it with a few more thoughts so make sure you look all the way at the end.

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends

Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.

2. Fit in Fitness

The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better.

3. Tame the Bulge

Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese by recent studies, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year's commitment to shed extra pounds.

4. Quit Smoking

If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. Even if you've tried to quit before and failed, don't let it get you down. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life!

5. Enjoy Life More

Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that "enjoying life more" has become a popular resolution in recent years. It's an important step to a happier and healthier you!

6. Quit Drinking

While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking.

7. Get Out of Debt

Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances. It's a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead.

8. Learn Something New

Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep.

9. Help Others

A popular, non-selfish New Year's resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help.

10. Get Organized

On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.


The problem I have with making New Year's Resolutions is that most often people try to do this all in their own strength. Let's face it, we do not have the strength or say the will power to do some of these things on our own. As Christians, we need to trust in Jesus and allow Him to work in our lives to change us. We need to walk in the Spirit! To walk in the spirit can be a real challenge especially in America. It seems everyone and everything is competing for our affections today. Commercials try to get us to buy certain products to improve our health, our homes, our cars, and us in general. We are bombarded by improving our lives by worldly solutions. As Christians we are to focus on improving our walk with the Lord so we can be of greater service to Him. How do we improve our walk? We need to make sure that we daily spend time with God in reading His Word and spending time with Him in prayer. We need to make sure that we are obedient to do whatever it is that He asks us to do also. Keeping short accounts of our sin certainly can improve our walk-making sure we confess our sins as soon as possible and not letting them build up. We need to choose each day by faith to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our thoughts, words, and deeds. How can we know if we are walking in the Spirit? We will know if our lives are showing the fruits of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In conclusion, we just need to walk happily with Jesus! I won't take anything from the past and I won't take anything from the future. The past is under the Blood, the future is in God's hand, and the present is mine with Him. And all I can do is to be present to Him-that is all. And if I don't have anything in the middle except Him then that is ok too. I'm just going to choose to be happy and that's all. So I guess if I were to make a New Year's Resolution it would be to just walk in the Spirit and leave everything else to Jesus! Happy New Year!-Suzie