<a href="http://judythewriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/resolutions.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6422" src="http://judythewriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/resolutions.png" alt="resolutions" /></a>January blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts are overloaded with advice and suggestions for resolutions and ways to achieve your goals for New Year. I’m going to join the crowd, but with a twist.

I'm not calling these resolutions because a whopping 80% of us fail within the first thirty days when we make resolutions.

There are three hundred and fifty-five days  left in 2016 so I'm challenging you to pick one or more of the four suggestions below. Suggestions that I think you will find easily achievable, unlike resolutions.
<h5>~Learn one new thing</h5>
I read that Steve Jobs studied calligraphy for the beauty and artistry of the technique. <a href="https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc" target="_blank">Jobs admitted calligraphy wasn’t the most pragmatic thing he’d ever done</a> https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc Yet his calligraphy experience deeply influenced his design work at Apple.

So what new thing peaks your curiosity? Give it a try. Whatever your thing is doesn’t have to be practical or even useful. Point is learning something totally new might lead you down paths you never dreamed.
<h5>~Volunteer</h5>
Preferably on a project outside your comfort zone.

Maybe assist at the local food bank, mentor at your neighborhood elementary school, be a timer for Special Olympics, serve at a soup kitchen, or read to a senior citizen. You’ll meet new people, learn about areas outside your expertise, and, I’m quite sure, discover insights about yourself.
<h5>~Read 3 books</h5>
No stipulations about length or titles, fiction or non-fiction. Browse your favorite independent bookstore, hop on Amazon, or get a free library card. I think you’ll discover the choices are endless.

Personally, I recommend a classic, a fiction genre you don’t always read, and a non-fiction, but whatever your selections, choose ones that will make you think or inspire you. You might just rekindle a long-lost love of reading or discover a newfound one.
<h5>~Schedule One Unplugged Weekend</h5>
Technology rules our lives. I get it. Cell phones are an outgrowth of our hands. We’re constantly logged on, tuned in, 24/7. All that being on line can lead to burnout.

Step away from your devices for one entire weekend. I think you’ll find, technology free time will stave off exhaustion, and most likely lead to a creative and more energized you.

If you accept my challenge, I believe you can change you and your world. Let me know how you do.