Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions for 2018

2018 is upon us, and the new year brings with it a sense of freshness and opportunity. Many people around the world use the 1st January as a milestone to make changes in their life for the better by making new year’s resolutions.

Though these resolutions are made with good intentions, they are rarely kept much longer than a few weeks, or even days. If you want to make a resolution for 2018, try to choose something different to the predictable ‘lose weight’, or ‘workout every day’; though your health is obviously important and you should try to keep good habits, there are also other things to focus on too. Try to choose resolutions that will bring joy and meaning to your life. Here are our suggestions for some spiritual new year’s resolutions.

Choose a word for the year

A good way to help you focus on having the best year possible is to choose a word or a theme to focus on. This idea has become very popular over the last few years, and it has helped many people stay on track.

It could be anything from a single word, to a favourite quote, or even just a general idea. For example, you could choose to center your year around the world ‘love’, or ‘honesty’. Or you could focus on family, or friendship. Perhaps you want to advance in your career, so you could choose ‘productivity’, or ‘self-confidence.’ Simply having one idea to focus on can help you stay on track and not be distracted from what is important to you. If one idea or word is too difficult to choose for the entire year, you could choose a different word for each month.

Take more time for yourself

Our lives are very busy, and it can be easy to put our family, friends, jobs and other responsibilities before ourselves a lot of the time. However too much can take its toll, and you may find yourself burned out if you don’t take some much needed time for yourself.

Try to schedule a little time for yourself every day, even if it’s just 30 minutes. This time should be spent on doing something just for you. It could be having a relaxing bath, or reading your favourite book, or even working on a hobby or skill that you’ve always wanted to learn. You could take a class, or catch up with a friend. Anything that brings you a little bit of joy every day is a good idea.

Focus on the positives

When there is so much going on in the world, it can be easy to focus on the negative and upsetting things, and lose sight of the good things. This can be incredibly emotionally draining and take a toll on your happiness. Make a promise to yourself this year to focus on the positives in life, rather than the negatives.

There are a few different ways to ensure that you remember the good things that happened throughout the year. One idea is a gratitude journal, in which you write down something you are grateful for every day. Another good idea is a ‘happiness jar’; simply get an empty jar or container, and fill it with happy memories. Write them on pieces of paper, or print photos, or even add in concert tickets or other mementos.

At the end of the year, you will be able to empty the jar and enjoy looking back at all of the great things that have happened over the last 12 months. You will most likely find that the good outweighs the bad.

Leave the past behind you

We all have things in our past that have affected us and we find hard to forget. However, holding on to bad memories or a grudge against somebody who has wronged you, only harms yourself. Use this new year as a fresh start, and leave what happened to you in the past.

Letting go of something heavy brings such relief that you can even feel it physically; you feel lighter and more free. Letting go of negativity and practicing forgiveness gives you the freedom to take positive steps forward, and move on with your life without a weight slowing you down.

Get more in touch with your spiritual self

We all have a spiritual self; some people are naturally in touch with their subconscious, while some are able to fine-tune this connection through a little focus and practice. Being in touch with your spiritual self has endless positive effects on your life, so make it a goal this year to deepen that connection.

Regular meditation can help strengthen your connection to your spiritual self. The best meditators have a set routine; they often meditate twice a day, once in the morning at sunrise, and once in the evening. Obviously, this isn’t possible for most people, but once a day is a good goal to aim for. Set up a dedicated, quiet space, and give yourself time to focus solely on the meditation and connection to your subconscious.

Once you begin meditating regularly, you will find yourself naturally more in tune with your subconscious. You will find it easier to make decisions, because you will have more confidence in your gut feelings, and will be more sure of what is right for you and your life.