You’ve packed up all the tinsel, put the Christmas tree out for the green bin collection and now you’re looking forward to 2018 hoping to finish it as well as you started. You’re thinking, ‘I should eat more vegetables, join that gym, stop wasting my life on Netflix’ and before you know it you’re eating nothing but raw carrot sticks and pulling a hamstring at CrossFit boot camp.
New Year doesn’t have to be about fads and promises you’ll never keep. They can be things you actually want and find possible to achieve. It could be something as simple as wanting to travel more and if you’re a NetBet Casino fan you can start to make that dream a reality by participating in the Bali Mission’s promotion.
If you have a track record of abandoning well intentioned resolutions by February, then maybe you can break the habit by following these few tips.
- Get to the core of what you want to achieve – Many of us get out of bed on 1st January and say, ‘this is the year I go to the gym’ and then watch as that membership fee disappears from our bank balance every month without ever going. So instead of promising to do something so specific, focus on what you want from it. Say to yourself ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to get fit’ and explore the many ways you can achieve that. It could be joining a sports team, finding a dance class or using a personal trainer. This could be applied to any number of resolutions you make such as diet and learning new skills.
- Make it achievable – If you smoke 40 cigarettes a day and make the resolution to quit completely you’re likely to fail all too soon and turn back to your old ways. It’s the same if you are a total couch potato and resolve to run a marathon next month or a complete novice at a language and aim to be fluent by the end of the year. Make 2018 the year to cut down cigarettes in stages, start walking more or be able to master the conversational basics in French. 2019 will always be there for making the next step to your goal.
- Do something you want – Yes! Resolutions can be fun too. Maybe there is something you’ve always wanted to do but just because it won’t lead to your “improvement” doesn’t mean it can’t go on the list. Achieving something is an achievement with or without weight loss or learning new skills. So find that D&D group, go see your favourite musical on the West End or try a beer from every country in the world. As my grandmother said, time having fun is never time wasted.
- Look outward – It doesn’t all have to be about you, you know. Think about the changes you want to see in the world and see what you can do to make that happen. Supporting charities doesn’t have to mean donating money as there are lots of ways you can give your time volunteering and fundraising. Look into ways you can go green, support campaigns you believe in and find out what you can get involved with in your local community. Aside from making a positive difference in the world, these activities are also a great way of getting out there and making new friends.
- Do it for you! – Happy being single? Content with how often you go out? Is the current amount of curly kale in your life satisfactory? Then there is no need to do anything to change that if you don’t want to. Don’t rely on societal pressures to come up with your resolutions. There is only one person you need to make happy in 2018 and that is YOU!
Make a few changes to the way you think about your New Year’s resolutions and you’re on your way to a successful 2018.
Why not kick off your resolution to travel more by taking part in The Bali Mission. It’s taking place on NetBet from 5th January to 1st February and offers a once-in-a-lifetime prize of a trip worth £3,000 to the Indonesian Island. Complete the weekly missions to receive tickets to the prize draw and be in with the best chance of winning. Who knows? One of 2018’s would-be world travellers could get off to the best possible start by winning this amazing prize. And if you miss out on the trip, not to worry! There are plenty of Free Spins, cash prizes and goodies to win along the way.
Words by Rebecca Wood