Year: 2015

Every year as the year draws to an end, people all over the world start with their elaborate plans of spending their New Year’s Eve along with their family envisaging a bright New Year ahead.

In this context people all around the world make New Year resolutions to be adhered to in the coming year. People make resolutions which are self improving in nature, that is resolutions which when adhered to will improve their well- being  be that mental or physical. Similarly then, there are resolutions which one can make to improve their family lives too.

In the modern grind, with professional lives looming large over personal lives and technology invading quality personal time; it is often seen that family has taken a back seat resulting in estrangement or various other depressing issues arising out of an unfulfilling family life. Thus other than making a personal set of resolution, those who care about their family should create a set of resolution for their families and should see it to fruition.

Therefore let us take a look at what are the top Five New Year Resolution which can be taken up as a coordinated Family unit –

1. Have More Family Dinners — Wasn’t there a saying that a family which has dinner together stays together? Or did i just make it up? Don’t know, but know this much that it is a proven fact. A dinner together without the infringing and obtrusive presence of a Television helps all the family members recount how their day had been; which in turn makes every family member aware of mostly what is happening with each others’ lives. It is a bonding exercise if ever there was one. It helps one to unwind and relax in each others’ company. It is even more beneficial for growing children to have dinner together as a family where they can learn food habits or table manners and in the longer run will go on to produce good food habits in them as adults.  Having dinner together will also ensure that the children do not get to spend that time in other meaningless activities. To make this entire experience better it would be great if the members are involved in the cooking process. Children learning or watching the food being prepared learn invaluable life education and also about nutrients and vitamins.  Thus, make a resolution this New Year to eat as many dinners as possible with your family. But with the TV switched off and the remote in a remote area!
2. Stay Active – Staying active, eating healthy, being fit are all resolutions which are adopted individually amongst the most number of people. Unfortunately by mid month most of them lose steam and the resolute resolution to stick to this resolution in the coming year is once again arrived at. To be consistent with this, the best way will be to take a resolution of staying active as a Family together; cohesively.  Instead of taking monumental goals, take baby steps. Take small easy to do things together every day.  It has been proven that when you take small achievable goals, it gives you a feel good factor to see them through. Therefore make small walking trips every weekend. Make stretching a daily affair before breakfast. Take a resolution of swimming twice a week. Insist upon walking your children to school instead of hopping in the car. Go for family walks everyday post dinner, be that for 10 minutes only. Do it.  The children will have a role model to follow, they will learn a lifetime worth of good practices as well as you will have cheerleaders and compatriots slogging out the same way you are. Thus make small physical activity plans encompassing all in the family.
3. Reduce Screen Time – With the advent of technology, all of us are becoming, or have become more and more dependant and glued to our “screens”. The screen can be any screen- laptop, tablet, computer, smart phone, television or you name it.  According to Behavioural Experts opinion children at the category of classes 6 to 12 should ideally have less than 2 hours of screen time. This screen time as mentioned earlier includes TV, game consoles or smart phones. Not only increased screen time increases the risk of children developing sedentary lifestyles, becoming couch potatoes; it is inversely proportionate to decreasing parental attachment and attention span. Excessive viewing of television can cause behavioural disorders among children giving rise to juvenile crimes, lasting after expensive articles, violence etc. It has been found out in research studies that this is directly related to psychological disorders and trauma amongst children and teenagers. Therefore encourage children to participate and play various physical games, be that outdoor and indoor. Encourage them to give free reign to their imagination in drawing, in writing journals of their own, in building blocks, in reading, in playing a variety of board games. Plan weekend screen- free times in going for long walks, museum visits, learning a new language together, taking up a hobby together, for example — reading. Going for impromptu picnics, sharing anecdotes of your day. Incorporate one or a couple of activities like these and see the sea change you can usher in this New Year.
4. Better Family Communication — All the above resolutions which can and should be incorporated as Family Resolution for the New Year probably has skimmed or directly addressed this topic of better family communication. It has been observed that children who share their “secrets” or are considered as almost equal in sharing things by their parents have lesser records of being rebellious. They are better equipped to handle anger, stress or changes which are a part of life. These are the people who will have stronger conflict resolution skills. So what are the things one can do to keep the channels of communication open?  Parents should have regular meals together, at least once- the dinner together where they can discuss how their day has been, what all trials and tribulations they have faced and the way to resolution. There can be planned leisure time activities, such as learning a new language or taking up a hobby. There can be channels of communication open with recreational activities like taking walks, going for picnics, planning a day out getting engaged in board games as scrabbles, attending the children’s annual days etc.  Shared time amongst families makes then more bonded and makes change management easier.
5. Less Structure – family together should be more free flowing all around with their activities and their timings. With the pressure of performance and rat race looming large , we as parents often fall in the vicious cycle of getting the children too organised. In perusing an all- round development for our children we tend to make them slaves of the watch by running from one lesson to the other. Between school to meal time, often the children’s day is crammed up with piano lessons, football coaching, cricket practices, additional school subject tuitions; leaving a child with no Me-time; where they can have unstructured activities bringing joy to themselves only. An unscheduled and unstructured time help the children develop their own identity and shows the areas they are interested in really. It could be drawing; it could be engineering small things. Let it be free flowing. Let it be ingenuous. These unstructured times in the longer run will make them more structured, develop their independence, brush up their social skills fire their imaginations and fuel their creativities.  Remember the children too need a break from regimens and super disciplined structured days to just enjoy. This will create a better bonding amongst you and your children. It will also make your children respect you as a parent much more as you recognise their need to relax and also appreciate their individuality.

Thus the New Year should see more laughter, more walks down the slopes, more weekend getaways, more museum visits, more discussions and amicable debates around the dinner table, more and more newer creative pursuits, more heart to heart talks than the previous year. Let this year and these practices pave the way for a super bonded family who will vouch and stick to each other should the need arise in times of difficulty. Let these resolutions make you all better parents, help you develop your children into sorted and well groomed individuals who will be compassionate and yet will have individual traits and attributes. Let them handle stress better and cope better with changes in this ever changing world. Let Family emerge as the one cohesive and comprehensive unit as it should have been and as it should be perceived. Amen to Family, and cheers to the top five New Year Resolutions that we shall take up to strengthen familial bonding, consequently giving you a happy, loving and prosperous year ahead with your family.

Are you tired of making a long list of Resolutions every New Year’s Eve and then watch them fizzle out even before the first quarter of the year is gone?

Often psychoanalysts have compared New Year resolutions to having a baby – they say they are easy to make, but very high on maintenance! More often than not New Year Resolutions have been known to be broken as easily they are made!

The interesting fact is that most of the New Year Resolutions are generally made for the betterment of life – be it on lifestyle, on finances or health or family or romance. Naturally if one can stick to them New Year Resolutions are sure to make your life more positive.

Feeling a little determined to stick to your Resolutions this upcoming New Year? Here are ten very practical and simple tips that would help you in maintaining the goals you set up as New Year Resolution –

1. Be practical in your approach — The surest approach to miss the mark concerning you will likely make your objective unattainable. For example, taking steps to NEVER eat your most loved nourishment again is setting you up to come up short. Rather, make progress toward an objective that is feasible, for example, dodging it more regularly than you do now.

2. Make advanced planning – Planning in advance makes it well thought of instead of being a spur of the moment impulse.

3. Discuss your resolutions with people you trust — Try not to keep your determination a mystery. Tell loved ones individuals who will arrive to bolster your resolve to improve yourself or enhance your wellbeing. The most ideal situation is to discover a pal who shares your New Year’s determination and spur one another.

4. Be objective and set up small achievable sub targets – Sub targets help in boosting your morale and you can actually measure how much nearer you have come to your final goal.

5. Beware of the pros and cons of your plans – It is your plan and you should know it well inside out – being aware of what your resolution may entail would help you stay prepared. For example – if you are saving up money with a target, then the pro is that you are sure to have a financial padding for the future; while the con may be that you may have to cut down on your monthly expenses for a while.

6. Reward yourself on achievements – Small rewards keep you inspired. This means treating yourself to something you appreciate and that doesn’t negate your determination. In the event that you have been adhering to healthy eating, for instance, reward yourself with new attire or by heading off to a film with a companion.

7. Keep a track of your progress — Monitor every little achievement. Transient objectives are less demanding to keep, and every little achievement will keep you inspired. For example — On a weight loss objective, rather than concentrating on losing 30 pounds, concentrate on losing the initial five, and then the next five, so on and so forth.

8. Do not create too much pressure on yourself — Do as well as can be expected on a day to day basis, and take things without rushing too much.

9. Adhere to it – Put a test to your endurance by sticking to your plan. Even if it seems difficult to. Researchers have proved that if you can stick to something for a month it becomes your habit, and if you carry on somehow for six months, it becomes part of your existence.

10. Never give up — In the event that you have completely come up short on steam with regards to keeping your determination by mid-February, don’t give up. Begin once again once more! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour augmentations will soon expand on one another and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

The New Year is just around the corner! And like the ancient Babylonians or the medieval Christians; we too are not far behind while making New Year Resolutions.

If all the others are making their own unique set of resolutions for the bright and shiny New Year; can the bloggers be far behind? No way! The Bloggers are in their own right those unique set of people who write about the humdrum, the technicalities, from rats to robots!

So they too need to devise their own unique and unprecedented set of New Year resolutions aiming to make their genre even more special. Let the Bloggers also incorporate certain resolutions which will make their subject matters more engrossing, their trade more profitable and their genre unique, Let these resolutions help them reach the top of their trade, carve a niche for them in their specific domain.

So let us have a look at what can be the top ten New Year’s Resolutions for the Blogging Community abounding in large. Let us also understand how these quantitative resolutions can help in the qualitative aspect of the blogging community.  So here it comes –

1. Create your own unique personality – Uniqueness is an unique attribute by its own virtue. You cannot be a run of the mill product. Every human being by default is unique and now, this New Year take the resolution to bring your own brand right out there- in the open. You, as a person have your own style, own “humor” as Ben Jonson would have put it. So why hide it??? Add about yourself- who you are and what you  have been doing to the Author Box below an article or add a side widget giving a sneak peek as to who you are.When you bring yourself as I keep emphasising on the table, trust me you will garner more and more readers for your blog. Therefore keep updating those small tid bits that you are sharing with your readers en masse. Upload that new photograph you took, where you don’t look prim and proper but windswept and sunny! It is end of the day who you are and what you write. While at it, also integrate Google authorship to get better results with your search engine optimization.

 

2. Original and Good Blog Topics – This is so related to the first resolution that one should adopt. Why? What do we consider to be a good content? Nothing but one which will be good to read, interesting to read. A content which we would love to share with our friends  and peers. Thus a good content needs a lot of research and reading in general. What made Charles Lamb’s essays so endearing and unique? His take from life and his own unique meandering brand of humour. Therefore be original. That can never go wrong. And originality and ingenuousness are always some of the most important things in a blogging community. Thus be patient and write with your heart and well researched topics.  Incorporate newer technologies. Trust me, you cannot be far from creating your original and good blog topics and original and good topics will always be at the top of the readers’ choice.

 

3. Posting 2/ 3 blogs daily – Blogging requires constant endeavour. It is not a once-a-day affair, where you post one blog in a day and precociously assume that it would be read and reviewed and respected by the Netizens. You need to write 2 to 3 blogs daily on interesting and informative topics or one which you have complete faith on. You need to be one up on your competitors. Will then only your blogging career be successful. So another resolution should be to write 2 to 3 blogs dexterously every day. So write, write, and keep writing.

 

4. Identify and study all Competitors in your niche – The Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis had once opined that “I have no friends and no enemies – only competitors”. That is one gem of a snippet of knowledge. So your fourth New Year resolution should be to adroitly study all your competitors. If you know what they are up to; then you will know what you should have been up to or what you should be up to. You are writing blogs to make money and to carve out a niche for you in this chosen path. What ensures that? Traffic in your blog. More number of visits and reads. Thus follow the top bloggers in your chosen field of subjects, see what they have produced, see what they have missed and how you can incorporate that in your blog. Therefore your problems will be reversed if you are constantly monitoring your competitors.

 

5. Expanding my Network using Social Media, Facebook and Twitter — I reiterate that what is the main objective behind blogging? Getting yourself and your blog, i.e. content read by as many people as possible. So the best way to have your reach expanded is through social networking platforms like Facebook, twitter etc. Create your own Facebook Fan Page or a Twitter Handle or a Google Plus Account, and keep writing or tweeting about your blogs daily.  Therefore never ignore the power of mass media- the Social media.

 

6. Building Personal Relationship with every Reader Using Comments, Discussions – As discussed regarding the earlier New Year Resolution; never ignore the power of mass; this too harps on the very same topic. Readers are the powers that keep you going. So never ignore the comments, views or opinions that the readers leave behind post reading your blog. Reading these views and opinions, will give you an idea as to what the readers want from your blog or where the lacunae could be.  You can also integrate various web based tools which can garner opinions polls etc by the readers. Thus in the New Year you will keep your readers feedback in mind. Build a personal bridge between yourself and your readers through your blog by sharing your view and anecdotes to their queries and opinions. Remember that a criticism is always a constructive criticism. Thus be open and build a personal relationship with your readers.

 

7. Learning New Writing Skills – As the old maxim goes, there is no shortcut to success. Similarly, there can be no shortcut to successful blog writing. One cannot manipulate the Google search engines and become a successful blogger. You need to create good content, interesting content that will be engrossing to the readers.  Your blog should be able to engage the readers in a manner that they will be bound to come back for more or even get involved in a debate. Therefore, read, learn. Learn a new word every day, Read about various topics. See life from close. This will make your writing skills new and unique from the previous you.

 

8. Offering Free Tutorials to Readers And Decreasing Bounce Rates – In the age of catering service industry, the readers of your blog are your target audience. To maintain a steady traffic in your blog you need to give some value added service to your readers. You need to give some free tutorials, may be in the form of PDF documents or videos to the readers of your blog. This will help decrease the bounce rate and will ensure that visitors keep coming back to your blog for more and more. Therefore a New Year Resolution should be to offer free tutorials to your readers to decrease the bounce rate.

 

9. Making Money Not just from Ad-sense but through Affiliate Marketing – This again is also directly related to the all the above topics that we have discussed earlier. Bloggers all over the world make money through Google Ad-sense. This New Year you need to make a resolution that you will earn revenues by Affiliate marketing, where you can directly sell products through your blog.  To ensure that your blog needs to be good enough, trustable enough by which the readers can be persuaded to buy products. To be candid, the amount of money one can make by affiliate marketing surpasses that of the amount which you can make from Ad-sense.

 

10. Consistency, Consistency and Consistency – Consistency is the key to success to bloggers as with all other genres or mediums. We already discussed that one needs to post 2 to 3 blogs regularly, thus consistency and commitment to your own trade is a must to attain success and be reckoned in your own rights. Consistency in learning new things, consistency in reading, consistency in observing the nuances of life, consistency in writing every day, consistency in answering and addressing your readers everyday and without fail will take you to the top of your chosen game. Therefore the last but not the least most important New Year resolution for the coming New Year should be – To be constant and consistent with your writing and blogging.

Bidding farewell to “the year that was”, people usually look forward to a new beginning and a bright and prosperous New Year with much joy and vivacity, hoping the coming year to be one which will usher in all goodness and glory.

Keeping in view the newer tidings we make certain resolutions or promises to ourselves. These resolutions though mostly popular in the Western Hemisphere; but slowly gaining ground globally also have a long history behind them and have been made since time immemorial.

The Babylonians at the beginning of every New Year used to make promises of returning borrowed objects and to pay their erstwhile debts in front of Gods. The Romans too made promises of self-escalation in front of the God Janus.

In a complete parallel religion, the Jews throughout Rosh Hashanah ponders upon the bygone year and at Yom Kippur seeks and offers resolutions and forgiveness. The practice of New Year resolution is most strongly influenced by the Christian Liturgical season of Lent or the Lenten sacrifices, pondering upon ones lacunae’s and focusing on self-improvement.

Let us then have a look at the Top 10 New Year resolutions made and broken and the ways and means to stick to them.

1. Lose Weight and Get Fit – The common problem ailing maximum number of the global citizen is unnecessary accumulation of fat in body. There are lot of people who over the festive period accumulate fat due to excessive binging. Thus the first resolution for those people should be to shed those extra pounds and get fit. To do so one needs to have a steely resolve and hit the gym or hire a personal trainer, go for walks, curb fat and carb intakes. Above all it needs a firm dedication to oneself to remain fit and not fat. Create a chart, download an app in your phone and give yourself a reminder everyday about your target and milestone.
2. Quit Smoking – James Bond had looked uber cool with the cigar in his hand wooing femme fatales in uber cool locales. Not anymore. Smoking causes cancer, heart attacks, breathing ailments and stroke. Passive smoking (that is inhaling of the smoke) may cause asthma and several other breathing disorders. Thus smoking is equivalent to killing oneself gradually. Now that you have decided to kick the habit is in itself commendable. How to quit? Steely resolve is the first requirement as the body craves nicotine. One can try E-Cigs, Various types of medicines available in the market as Chantix or use Nicotine patches. But over and above everything you need to tell yourself I will not smoke. So to quit this; you are your best friend.
3. Learn Something New – Shakespeare said “Knowledge the wing, wherewith to fly to heaven”. And nothing can be truer than this. There are so many unchartered territories, unlearnt things, unheard of music, unread books, unlearnt languages, unseen places and people and unlived life. Mahatma Gandhi had said “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Thus take a New Year resolution of learning something new. This can include a new language, culinary skills, basic engineering tricks, to adventure things like paragliding, parasailing, mountaineering, trekking to aesthetic attributes like singing, learning to play a musical instrument, art and craft like origami and then the list is endless. Thus plan and enroll for one today.
4. Eat Healthier and Diet – The resolution of healthy eating and dieting is directly related to the earlier mentioned New Year resolution of losing weight and getting fit. The foundation of good health which is really equivalent to wealth is nothing but refraining from smoking, physical activities and eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet. A healthier diet will include balanced intake of carbohydrates heart-friendly vitamins, minerals and high quality proteins. Apart from taking to these healthy diets it is also of utmost importance to monitor the quantity of food intake. It is strictly advisable to consume lesser quantity of food in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle as we are prone to consume all kinds of processed food in our modern and hectic life. Thus it is extremely important that one diets under able guidance and consumes healthy and nutritious foods.
5. Get Out of Debt and Save Money — Lure of consumerism is such that one cannot escape. The lure of upgrading to a bigger car, a bigger condo, a better locality, a newer cell phone, a designer handbag, labeled clothes all lead to the excessive usage of plastic money. Plastic money is nothing but credit cards. The first step to address this issue is to acknowledge that you have a debt and that is in itself a problem. Once you acknowledge that can only then a solution be ventured into. Tell yourself that I will not buy things which are beyond my means, which I cannot afford. Stop spending money from a time and an income you are yet to arrive at your future. Thus stop spending borrowing money from future to buy things for the present. Just destroy your credit cards and throw them away. Well, if this seems too harsh, at least stow them away to some place from where you can’t flash them out in a jiffy! (That way you have access to them in case of dire need) Assess your lifestyle and make a list to cut out unnecessary things making a hole in your savings. For example if you were eating out on every weekend, start cutting it down to one weekend or two in a month. Open a savings account where you will forcibly put some money every month for saving.
6. Spend More Time with Family – The consumerism and the toll of modern day activities are robbing us of our family centric times. With the forever growing list of to-do s professionally and even personally spending time or even quality time with our families are taking a back seat. There are different things that different people do when we say spending time with family. For some it may mean going out with family once a week, for some it may mean playing a game together or for some it may mean having a heart-to-heart conversation or sharing about their day at the dinner table or over a cup of coffee. Irrespective of what you decide to do, the crux is that there should be more interaction and more activity that you need to do to spend time with your family in order to make it a well-knit, rather close-knit integrated family.
7. Travel to New Places — Travelling to new places and exploring newer terrains has amazing benefits in terms of life and learning’s. It would be most prudent to remember the famous quote by J. R. R. Tolkien from his Lord of The Rings trilogy, “Not all those who wander are lost´. Indeed so. All those who wander gain an amazing insight and perception of life and towards one’s inner self. It is your commune with the greater God and universal self. You can travel to unseen places to learn about the lives gone by, you can travel to Machu Pichu to see the relics of the Mayan civilization, travel to the Great Wall of China and revel at the wonder that man created. Travelling will widen your world and take you away from the triviality and mundane humdrum of everyday life. Create a plan, start saving, take baby steps to attain your goal of travelling to a hitherto unseen place every year.
8. Be Less Stressed – Stress, as they say, is a silent killer. Stress according to Dictionaries is a stimulus or a frame of mind which disturbs or derails our physical and mental equilibrium or harmony. Stress arising from Professional reasons or personal reasons can lead to various physical ailments like stomach ache, constant headache, sleeping disorders leading to depression. To avoid stress we can plan to take up a distressing workshop,  do an Art-of-living course,  take up a hobby,  meditate, write a journal of the journey that’s been,  exercise, talk to others, or seek counseling.
9. Volunteer — A worthwhile New Year resolution could be taking up a Volunteering cause. Humanitarian activities as working for your local old-age home, or a disability center or community library or volunteering for a fund-raiser for a natural disaster management team are always a worthwhile activity. Through these volunteer works one yield to a greater calling and have a better commune with the Greater God provided we can do it religiously and do not give it up mid-way.
10. Drink Less – Drinking is often medically safe and also recommended in some cases. But it is also always recommended to drink in moderation. Not only does drinking in moderation allows you to be in complete control over your mental faculties and react to situations with alacrity, it also helps you to savor and enjoy your drink, improve your mental state, and also helps you in saving money. Thus to stick to this New Year resolution one needs to make a firm commitment to oneself and their loved ones to limit their alcohol consumption to an agreed upon quantity. One should not drink alone or when depressed, because it may make one loose the perspective. So it is advisable to be in touch with your loved one or close friend or be with one while drinking and not to drink under depressing state of mind to avoid drinking more.