How To Achieve More Without New Year's Resolutions

Traditionally, we fill the last days of the old year with resolutions and highly improbable plans for the new year. We try to promise ourselves brighter future, better selves and impeccable actions.

Those new year's resolutions rarely if ever meet the bright light of day.

Our positivity at the end of the year turns into guilt at the beginning of the new one: guilt that grows into shame, denial and ends up in oblivion a couple of days before the end of the year.

And then again we promise ourselves that we are going to change this time.

Why not try a different attitude this year?

Here is a simple and easy plan for 2014.

Live for today.

Give yourselves the time to go through the past year and appreciate the good moments. Value the lessons you've learned from the bad moments. Be thankful.

And then, just to make sure that you will appreciate everything good that comes to you and not forget it, designate a jar, or a little notebook where you will write down and collect everything you and your family members have achieved through the year.

photo via: strep72

Every time that any of you makes a progress in any sphere of life, write it down in the notebook or put the piece of paper you wrote it on in the jar.

Then make reading the achievements the key moment in the last days of the next year.

The simple act of going through your successful moments (most of which you will have forgotten by the end of the year) will lift your spirit and will show you that you haven't wasted time. It will give you wings and will inspire you to be the better you because you will clearly see how much you have progressed.

photo via: coconino

Promise me that you will fill this jar with deeds worth remembering.

Promise me you'll try.

I will too.

And next year we'll exchange the self-respect we've gained.

Deal?