It’s easy to make resolutions for the new year in the realms of personal fitness, your career and your budget. However, often we lose track of making an effort to improve an incredibly important part of our lives — our personal lives! Make sure you prioritize yourself and the relationships you have with those important to you this year by setting a few goals for yourself.
Keep in touch
In this day and age, there’s no excuse for not keeping in touch with those you find most important. There are literally so many ways you can get in contact with people beyond the standard call and text, including sending a fun Snapchat or shooting them a quick audio message. Use the downtime you spend on your phone productively by working on your relationships with people. Scroll through your texts and send a quick link to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a couple of months to spark a meaningful conversation. Share one of those Facebook memories with old friends to your wall to show how you remember how special they were in your life. You can also use good old-fashioned snail mail to accomplish this task if you’d like. Even if you don’t get a gift, writing a nice meaningful card can often brighten someone’s whole day.
Rid yourself of toxic people
Toxic people can take form in all ways in your life. They can either be those Debbie Downers on your Facebook feed who share boring videos you don’t care about, or judgemental friends who don’t ever have anything positive to say to you. Whoever they are, there’s a way to drop them without offending anyone or having an uncomfortable conversation. You can easily just mute someone on social media or stay away from one-on-one situations with certain people. Whatever it is, make sure that you’re surrounded by people who make you happy and challenge you to be your best self.
Write down what you want
If you’re struggling with having the wrong people in your life and not enough of the right people, take the time to verbalize what it is you’re exactly looking for. Whether you want a romantic partner who is emotionally supportive of you or a friend who shares your common interest in comedy podcasts, the first step in developing these relationships is often recognizing that you want this in your life. Once you’ve verbalized your goal, it’s so much easier to start working toward that goal and spend less time just feeling sorry for yourself.
Challenge yourself out of your comfort zone
The New Year is often the best time for you set some big goals and let those around you know about them. This is especially great for things that you know you would have a hard time with getting around to without some external motivation. In terms of your personal life, these challenges can be anything from taking yourself out on a solo dinner or going on that blind date your friends have been bugging you about for months. Whatever it is, make it a point to gain new life experiences and learn life’s lessons by just doing something new.
Take an adventure
Plan a trip, either by yourself or with a friend. Whatever it is, make it somewhere new and exciting. This is possible regardless of your budget or schedule. Go on a road-trip down the coast with your friends or take your date camping for the weekend. Whatever it is, make sure you explore the world out there.