Planning the year ahead

CEBU, Philippines – It is about the time to look ahead to another year. It is about the high time to start all over again, to make a new beginning. Starting another year is such a crucial act - and as with anything crucial, proper planning is needed.

Some things have got to be dropped, others to be enhanced. If it's not working, stop it; if it works, make it better. As unfeasible endeavors are let go, new ones are to take their places.

The coming of the New Year is big deal with many people. Especially young people, although everyone - young and old - are to benefit in taking it seriously. But because of its regularity, a lot of people seem to have grown quite casual about the New Year.

Nowadays, the New Year has become merely associated with boisterous revelry. Amid the noise of the celebrations, it is so hard to find a quiet moment to reflect, which is essential in planning things out. And, thus, making resolutions is not only difficult - it has also become the butt of jokes.

Those who are conscientious enough to finish a sensible set of New Year's resolutions have only gone a small part of the journey. Really doing what they have resolved to do is the bigger part. Sadly, New Year's resolutions hardly get due justice; these are often forgotten much more quickly than they were put together.

And, still, many people don't grow tired of making and then dropping their New Year's resolutions. And it is a good thing. Maybe, after a while, they will just learn to stick to their plans of giving their lives some sense of order or take it to some desired destination.

But where to start? The planning part is the start. The website www.teenadvice.about.com offers good ideas for the New Year's resolution of young people:

1. Get Healthy.

Getting healthy doesn't just mean losing weight. It can also mean playing more sports, making healthier eating choices or just resolving to get off the couch a little more often. Make one small change at a time - like riding your bike to school instead of taking the bus, or ordering a salad instead of a burger - and you'll have an easier time keeping this resolution.

2.  Get Happier.

This is a little more of an abstract resolution that can mean different things to different people. See if you can find ways to boost your self-esteem, or just spend more time doing things that you love instead of things that make you feel bad about yourself.

3.  Be a Better Person.

Being a good person - by donating your time or old stuff to those in need, or just by throwing some random acts of kindness into your daily routine - feels so good that it can be addictive.

4.  Find Love.

You can be perfectly happy by being single, but be honest: wouldn't it feel great to find a great boyfriend or girlfriend? There's no magic spell that'll bring love into your life; you have got to be open for it and even work for it.

5.  Show More Love to Your Family.

Whether you like it or not, your family is made up of the most important people in your life. This year, take a couple of deep breaths and resolve to be a little nicer to them.

6.  Be a Better Friend.

The more love you give to your friends, the more love they'll give back to you. So, basically, if you stick to this New Year's resolution you've got nothing to lose. Find a couple of ways to help a friend out this month. Not only will you be making someone feel good, you'll also be building up some good karma for when you need help.

7.  Get Better in School.

You don't need to suddenly turn yourself into a straight-A student - but if you bump up your school performance by just a little bit this year, you'll feel better about yourself, you'll make your parents proud, and you'll be setting yourself up for a brighter future. So it's a good idea all around.

8.  Learn Something New.

There's nothing more thrilling than the feeling of finally "getting something," and your school curriculum often leaves something to be desired. How about putting some of that holiday money towards learning a new hobby? It'll be way more fun than algebra, and you might just learn a skill that you'll love for the rest of your life.

9.  Be a Role Model.

Being a good role model is easier than it sounds. All you have to do is make smart decisions - and then make sure that other people are listening in on it. You can handle that, right?

10.  Make Some Money.

Hey, you can always find time to work on your karma, but in the meantime, there's nothing wrong with wanting to pad your wallet a little bit. Step one is getting a job, or just finding a better one.

These ideas are rather general in nature. But the point is to provide a jump-off point for the specific resolutions to come about. For the most part, these inputs from www.teenadvice.about. com are only to get one's mental engine started.