Ideas for Your Family’s 2022 New Year’s Resolution

The same narrative comes around before the start of every new year: “For my new year’s resolution, I’m going to…, etc..”–with good reason! We all want to be better people, accomplish our goals, and keep or develop meaningful relationships in our lives, but we know that all of the above cannot come without intentional effort on our part. 

When you think of yourself and your family specifically, think of areas that can use some improvement. Maintaining patience during difficult situations? Practicing more acts of gratitude to show each other you care? Maybe, slowing down one’s mind to be in the present moment rather than elsewhere? Helping out more at local foster care agencies or private foster care agencies? 

No matter what can be improved upon, you and your family can take on 2022 and new year’s resolutions together with effort and family prospective resources. In addition to having individual goals, creating resolutions as a family will result in a more loving home experience for everyone involved, promote healing and trust, and overall, bring happiness!

Here are some ideas for your family’s 2022 new year’s resolution.

1. Practice patience with one another.

Everyone can use a little more patience when it comes to their family; we know exactly how to push each other’s buttons or be frustrated that solutions that are obvious to us may not be to our family members. Regardless, patience is imperative to develop in one’s household. By definition, patience means to accept and tolerate what is troubling you without emotions such as anger getting in the way. In the heat of a moment, it’s easy to be subjective and rely on your own feelings to dictate a conversation’s direction– but that action frankly doesn’t help anyone. If we can’t approach situations from an objective standpoint, then nothing can truly be resolved. At that point, we’re so caught up in a battle of emotions with no real foundation for a solution. Your emotions are not the solution; your ability to see past them is what leads you to determine the solution and take the steps to get there. 

2. Show more acts of gratitude. 

Sometimes, showing gratitude, let alone affection may be the hardest action of them all. Knowing that our family loves us and that we love them unconditionally is a comforting truth–but it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Make the effort to show more acts of gratitude to one another, even if it’s simply saying “thank you”. We can live our whole lives knowing for a fact that we’re loved by family and show little gratitude or none at all, but wouldn’t finding ways to show gratitude deepen that love, and remind others that their selfless love is acknowledged and precious to us? It never hurts to give back to the people who love us selflessly without expecting anything in return. If anything, it only makes relationships better and stronger. Plus, showing gratitude to others makes them feel loved. Wouldn’t you want your loved ones to know they’re loved too?

3. Develop the self-awareness to be in the present moment–every day.

Life sets us up to be distracted as we get older, considering all the technology that develops every day or the responsibilities that seem to never stop piling up on our plate. If we don’t recognize that, however, then before you know it, years have gone by. You cannot relive precious moments. Wanting to accomplish the next goal or milestone is valid, but we should care to remember that treating certain periods or moments of our life as transitions alone to get the next best thing devalues the living experience. Every moment is precious or meaningful, and it’s easy to look past them or forget about them altogether. The next time you find yourself wandering in your mind, take a breath and come back to the present moment. You don’t realize what you have been missing until it passes you by and is gone. 

4. Choose honesty rather than keeping feelings to oneself.

One of the most difficult actions to take is being honest with both yourself and others; nobody wants to confront the parts of themselves that make them feel uncomfortable, guilty, or any other negative emotion. But developing the ability to do so from a place of love and understanding is one of the ultimate marks of maturity that enable you to live a fulfilling life. To embrace one’s weaknesses and admit faults is not something everyone can do. If you can find the courage to be truthful, then it naturally leads to others being more honest with you; you discover what truly makes you happy and fulfilled, and you can voice why. At the end of the day, if we are truthful, we live a truthful life, unblemished any false sense of comfort.