Happy New Year! I know I’m a bit late to the resolution game this year, but it’s still January so close enough.  If you haven’t set any 2016 resolutions yet, feel free to borrow some of mine.  I’ll try to memorialize them here in a way that could be broadly applicable.

• Drink better wine.  Particularly if you’re 30+.  Get with the program.  And while you’re at it, sip don’t guzzle.  Now watch me sip sip my chardonnay-nay.
• Soak up culture.  I’m planning to get me some at least bi-weekly in some form or another.  Go to a museum, see an opera, attend the theatre, learn a language, travel… Unsure how to get a dose of culture, or even what that means?  Check out How to Become a Person of Culture (with Pictures).  There are more options than you might think!
• No f@ talk.  Delete “fat” from your vocabulary particularly when talking about yourself or other people.  Self-deprecation is so over, and talking about other people is just rude.  But if you really need to talk about f@, pick a better word.  There are tons to choose from!  i.e. pudge, marbling, fuller, soft, round, voluptuous, stout, extra, padding, plump, large, portly, substantial, bulky, etc.
• Only buy clothes that fit.  And if you buy something that needs hemming or tailoring, get it done straight away.  Otherwise it’s a waste of money, takes up room in the closet, and adds more stress to getting dressed.  Ain’t no body got time for that!
• Regular pampering.  Plan something lovely just for you at least once a week.  A bubble bath with a glass of good wine, a mani-pedi, a massage, an extra long coffee break with a new book- set aside time for you and mark it on the calendar.
• Get rid of stuff.  No more piles of unused stuff taking up space in the house, at the office, in the garage, in the car.  Get rid of it!  Plan to spend one day a month getting rid of stuff and/or organizing.  Embrace the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  As Mary Kondo teaches, if it doesn’t “spark joy”, thank it and get rid of it.
• Read more.  So many books I want to read!  And yet too often I end up mindlessly scrolling through social media or binge-watching Netflix instead of reading.  Read more, it’s good for you.  For real.  10 Reasons Why You Should Read More Books.
• Get outside.  I’m not talking about camping, that’s not for me.  I’m talking about making a conscious effort to just be outside for at least a little bit every day.  Walking, standing, jogging, or even sitting on the patio with a glass of (good!) wine.  Apparently there’s tons of benefits to getting outside, and I really have no excuse.

And in case you were wondering where this whole New Year’s resolution tradition came from, apparently it dates back 4000 years ago or so to Babylon.  The Romans carried it forward, and here I am doing my part to keep it going.

Cheers to an amazing 2016!  It will be what you make it.

xoxo