Resources for keeping New Year's Resolutions

Wed, 12/26/2012 - 4:18pm by mossing

Maybe you've started hearing about them already. Along with holiday spirit, New Year's Resolutions are in the air.

I don't know about you, but my resolutions tend to be in the same themes year after year. According to USA Today, Americans' most common New Year's Resolutions in 2012 were focused on fitness, finance, and quality of life. Thankfully, we've got plenty of resources here at the library to make it easier to keep those resolutions this year.

Be Healthy

We have a wide range of books, videos, and magazines focused on health and fitness, including Whole Living, Fitness, and The Mayo Clinic Plan: 10 essential steps to a better body and healthier life.

Be Happy

The question of how to be happy in one's life has been pondered as long as we've been pondering. Younger readers, might enjoy Have You Filled a Bucket Today: a guide to daily happiness for kids, while grown-ups might find Stumbling on Happiness or Happiness 101 (DVD) to be enlightening.

Save Money

Precocious financially-minded kids might like The Secret Life of Money: a kid's guide to cash, while How to Be Richer, Smarter, and Better Looking than Your Parents is aimed at 20-somethings. The WSJ Guide to the New Rules of Personal Finance is a comprehensive guide to saving and investing money in the current economy. The Cheapskate Next Door: the surprising secrets of Americans living happily below their means tells stories of how some Americans are living debt-free by spending much less than most.

Form Good Habits (or Break Bad Ones!)

For those trying to make a change in their lives and stick with it, these books might be useful. Whether the change is in one's personal, professional, or financial life, these books are full of insights on how to successfully implement change: Switch: how to change things when change is hard, Change Anything: the new science of personal success, and This Year I Will...: how to finally change a habit, keep a resolution, or make a dream come true.

Get Organized

If you've resolved to lighten up your life and clear out unnecessary items from your home, you may find The Joy of Less: a minimalist living guide and Lighten Up: love what you have, have what you need, and be happy with less to be helpful. If you simply want to organize what you have to make your home a more welcoming, usable space, House Works: how to live clean, green, and organized at home or Soulspace: transform your home, transform your life might be just what you need.

Well, that covered my New Year's Resolutions. What's your resolution this year? Are there any other resources you recommend for making or keeping resolutions?