Familia Americana: Welcome to 2024!
Happy New Year, friends!
Each new year is a new beginning and a fresh opportunity to become the best version of yourself that you can be. To live a life with meaning is what we strive for. So, what can we do this year to help us live not just with purpose but with meaning?
For one, taking care of yourself will give you a greater chance at succeeding in your goals. The way we see and treat ourselves influences our outlook of the world around us. It has a direct impact on our mood, mental health, and ability to succeed or fail at our aspirations.
Psychology Today gives five tips to boosting your ability to succeed in your new year’s resolutions: make quality a priority in your life, pay attention to your thoughts, be as nice to yourself as you are to others, start saying “no” to requests to help others when you are running on empty, and try to do one nice thing for yourself every day.
Second, live out your values. Studies from the University of Southern California, University of California – Berkeley, and the University of Utah have shown that people with more traditional views not only feel they have more meaning and purpose in their life, but they are happier as well. Why is that?
Our 2024 resolutions can be achieved if we are kind to ourselves, live a value-driven life, and set realistic and attainable goals. Remember, real happiness is intrinsic – it comes from within. May 2024 be your best and happiest year yet!
There are a number of reasons why more traditional people find lasting happiness in their lives. For the majority of this group, the social conservative, it is their faith. God is paramount to finding meaning in life and purpose in the world. Their reliogisity offers them an anchor (God) and a moral clarity which further guides their life.
Other reasons contributing to this more positive outlook (optimism of life) include “tradition, history, and preservation. Conservatives believe that the traditions of a developed society represent the collective wisdom of the ages, having been adapted to meet the particular needs and challenges of the culture and environment, and therefore ought to be preserved.” (Journal of Research in Personality)
Overall, conservatives share the basic values of individual freedom, individual responsibility, limited government, economic opportunities for all (through a free market system), and belief in a transcendent moral order (faith-based and value-driven.) Promoting these values brings conservatives a greater sense of self-worth which translates into a happier mindset overall.
Third, set realistic goals. Aim high, work hard, but do not set yourself up for failure. Whether you want to rekindle old friendships, read more books, try out new recipes, learn to sew, or pick up a sport, be sure to set realistic goals, allow yourself to make mistakes and treat yourself with lovingkindness.
Our 2024 resolutions can be achieved if we are kind to ourselves, live a value-driven life, and set realistic and attainable goals. Remember, real happiness is intrinsic – it comes from within. May 2024 be your best and happiest year yet!
