The Science Behind the Law of Attraction Magazine December, 2015 | Page 54

3 Resol ut ions For a Happier Year
--by Christine Carter, syndicated from Greater Good,
You want to lose weight. Get out of debt. Stop
smoking. Eat more kale. Call your grandma more
often.
I do understand why people don?t like New Year?s
resolutions: They can be a source of failure, year
after year. Folks often pick resolutions that are
inherently unrewarding, that necessitate
relentless hard work, or that remind them of their
mortality in a way that makes them feel small
instead of grateful.

a lot.
The first and most important factor in keeping
your resolutions is to make the right resolution.
Make the wrong one and you won?t keep it; you?ll
just add another habit to the ?fail? list.
This year, pick just one resol ut ion t hat research
shows wil l make you happier. Here are are three
of my favorites:

I know because I?ve made all of those mistakes.
But now? I love New Year?s resolutions. I use them
to transform myself in small increments, taking
turtle steps toward new habits. I begin slowly
around the winter solstice, and inch myself
toward a newer, better self. By spring, my new
habits have taken hold, and the green leaves of
growth unfurl.
Over the years I?ve learned a lot of tricks for
successfully keeping my resolutions. And in the
1. Spend more t ime wit h f riends. Study after
last three years, the science around willpower and study shows that we tend to be happier when we
habits has made great advancements, which helps feel connected to our nearest and dearest, when
Page 54 - December, 2015