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    Categories: Holiday

116 New Years goals that don’t involve weight loss

By Sarah McMahon

As we begin yet another year it is normal (and healthy!) to reflect on the year that has gone by and consider our hopes and dreams for the year to come. It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting weight loss (what ever our weight might be!). But of course, as the statistics tell us for 98% of people who lose weight, weight gain will invariably occur soon after. This does not have to be another one of those years. Start the new year strong by establishing some different goals! Here are some 116 suggestions to inspire you for 2016…

  1. Pick up a language
  2. Learn to crochet, knit or sew
  3. Join a sports team
  4. Volunteer for a charity
  5. Plan a once-in-a-lifetime holiday
  6. Seek out an exchange or secondment
  7. Stay in better touch with your friends/ grandparents/ God kids/ nieces & nephews etc.
  8. Get more sleep
  9. Cut back on alcohol
  10. Change career
  11. Quit smoking
  12. Save money and/or manage your debt
  13. Go back to school or uni
  14. Read more
  15. Reduce social media use
  16. Go to church
  17. Join a chess club
  18. Start surf life saving
  19. Become a better time manager
  20. Become a better listener
  21. Be more mindful
  22. Learn to ride a horse
  23. Reconnect with estranged family or friends
  24. Try new foods
  25. Make exercise a part of your daily routine
  26. Pursue treatment for your eating disorder/ depression/ anxiety
  27. Practice self compassion
  28. Sponsor a child
  29. Sky dive
  30. Start an investment portfolio
  31. Learn to draw or paint
  32. Take more photos
  33. Complete an ocean swim
  34. Run in a marathon
  35. Raise money for charity
  36. Stop procrastinating
  37. Improve your mental capacity
  38. Take singing lessons
  39. Become a better cook
  40. Keep your room/ house/ desk tidy
  41. Grow a herb or veggie garden
  42. Stop watching mindless TV
  43. Be a better friend
  44. Pursue a promotion
  45. Get a mentor
  46. Be a mentor
  47. Limit screen time
  48. Join a choir
  49. Give blood
  50. Learn a musical instrument
  51. Learn to surf or ski
  52. Practice yoga
  53. Renovate or redecorate your room/ house
  54. Meet new people
  55. Take some chances
  56. Become more polite
  57. Find a life partner
  58. Start a family
  59. Manage your free time better
  60. Get a pet
  61. Be on time
  62. Have regular massages
  63. Turn your hobby into a career
  64. Learn how to defend yourself
  65. Start writing a book or journal
  66. Start blogging
  67. Learn to dance
  68. Go to the dentist
  69. Enjoy life more
  70. Change jobs
  71. Improve your fitness
  72. Become more tolerant
  73. Be a positive influence on loved ones
  74. Stop consuming diet products
  75. Play more board games
  76. Attend more concerts/ performances/ festivals/ live sports events
  77. Shop less
  78. Dabble in e-commerce
  79. Start a share portfolio
  80. Drink more water
  81. Become more cultured
  82. Schedule regular date nights
  83. Recycle
  84. Invest in your local community by joining a community garden or Mens Shed (if you are a man!)
  85. Reinvent your appearance by changing hairstyle
  86. Get/ remove a tattoo
  87. Make a documentary
  88. Write your memoirs
  89. Write down the stories your parents & grandparents have told you
  90. Put your holiday photos in albums
  91. Complete your tax on time!
  92. Go outside for 15 minutes a day
  93. De-clutter
  94. Throw out your underwear with holes in it
  95. Stop fat talk
  96. Participate in a “help exchange”
  97. Develop a bucket list – and start doing some of these things
  98. Cancel your subscriptions to magazines/ e-letters/ news feeds/ anything at all that makes you feel bad about yourself
  99. Stop trying to change the people around you
  100. See the shades of grey
  101. Wear sunscreen every day
  102. Stop checking your phone when you are in the company of others
  103. Pay it forward
  104. Undertake a volunteer holiday – build an orphanage or help baby orangutans!
  105. Find some regular exercise that you enjoy
  106. Buy yourself flowers every week
  107. Stop comparing yourself to celebrities or others
  108. Envisage your ideal life and take daily steps in this direction
  109. Stop gossiping
  110. Walk more/ drive less
  111. Complete regular random acts of kindness
  112. Be generous to others with the words you chose
  113. Let go of things you have been angry about
  114. Be carbon neutral
  115. Join a community group like Lions or Rotary
  116. Do everything in your power to make this the best year ever!

Finally, is there anything we have missed that you will be working on?