Like millions of others, you may have thought of some resolutions for 2012. But it is important to think “Year Round.” Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year’s resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point. You must develop a ritual or habit for revisiting your plan. We are listing few random, popular, and useful resolutions that you may adopt in 2012. MAXIMIZE YOUR BUDGET Know what you have, look at what you have, and keep track of what you have. Track your budget. Use tools such as MS Excel. One of the easiest ways to save money is to not spend it in the first place. Take the time to comparisonshop. Become aware of the stuff that you regulary buy; and shop at the store that
has the cheaper price. Buy seasonally. It is not important whether kids’ clothes are in style. So buy sweaters at the start or end of the season, when they’re heavily marked down. When it comes to food, buy only fruits and vegetables that are in season and therefore cheaper. PLAN TO LAND THAT DREAM JOB Position yourself as THE expert. Manage a blog and make sure to use social media to promote it. Try networking online and offline. Go networking -- so instead of running after jobs, let the jobs find you. If you are going to an interview, make sure to bring questions. Great and thoughtful questions! Always follow up with a thank you. Why not start your own business. You will land a job and may create work for others in the process. USE THE STAIRS Forget those annual gym membership contracts. You know that you will sign up and won’t be able to go regularly. So what can you do for a healthier lifestyle? Try incorporating more physical activity into your every day. Use common sense and do little things like take the stairs instead of the elevator. >>> Coninues on page 04
Where Did New Years Resolutions Come From? BY MICHAEL CLAYTON On the 1st of January, millions of people around the globe start working on New Years resolutions. Chances are you have tried them yourself in one way or another. They are one of the fun things about the New Year. But have you ever wondered where they came from? Who first started setting New Years Resolutions? Well, here is a brief history of the origins of the New Years resolution for you: The Babylonians The first recorded New Years resolutions were made by the Babylonians around 4000 years ago. Most commonly, it revolved around returning any borrowed farm equipment, as their New Year coincided with the start of their farming season. The Romans Not long after, the Romans would start the new year by counting the stock of the previous year and setting a goal to accomplish more in the coming year. It was not just western countries that set resolutions either. The Chinese The Chinese set a special New Years resolu-
tion - house cleaning. Most people nowadays would relate this to Spring-Cleaning. At the coming of the New Year, the Chinese would clean their house from top to bottom. What a great way to start the year, with a beautiful clean house! The Modern World Today we still set New Years resolutions, and try to achieve them. They are almost always based around self-improvement resolutions and goals. They are a way to mark the beginning of changes in our habits and lifestyle. The most common resolutions include losing weight, quitting smoking and/ or drinking, and improving your finances. As mentioned earlier, millions of people make these resolutions but unfortunately only 10% ever manage to achieve them. It is a sad fact, but many of these resolutions do not even last longer than a few weeks. By July, most have been completely forgotten and no real progress against the resolution has been made. It is amazing what such a long history the New Years resolution has had. You may be thinking of creating on yourself this coming New Year. And why not? It is a tradition practiced around the entire globe. Above all though, we should remember that the most important aspect of a New Years resolution is to take action and stick to it.