In Spain and many Latin American countries, party-goers ate 12 grapes at midnight to symbolize good luck for each month in the year ahead. South Africans in Johannesburg threw old appliances out the window, literally and figuratively showing "out with the old and in with the new." Russians wrote down wishes on a piece of paper, burned them, put the ashes in a champagne glass and drank it before midnight to make them come true.
No offense to these traditions, but I didn't fling a toaster out my window, choke down ashes or eat grapes...I drank my grapes, thanks. (Now, had I drank TOO many grapes, then both of the aforementioned scenarios might have happened.)
Now that we've rang in the New Year in our own way, what about those New Year's resolutions?
It’s been published that approximately 92% of us
flub on our New Year’s resolution. Here's what TIME Ideas recently wrote:
"The statistics are bleak: only 8% of people who make New Year's resolution stick to them, and those who don't usually abandon them after just one week. Unrealistic resolutions are fated to fail. And it is unrealistic to think that you can immediately overcome a habit you have spent years establishing."
Ouch. Looks like most of us are fated to fail before we've barely begun. I started thinking of easy-to-keep resolutions. The most popular ones - less drinking, no smoking, diets, more exercise - are some of the hardest to keep. Then, in the spirit of my blog, I thought I could challenge you all to find easy, affordable ways to add style to your hosting, decorating and cooking in 2014. But that's not really a resolution if I'm giving you all of the ideas, is it? You can count on me for this. I'll do the work for you!
So then, it finally hit me - the ONE thing nearly everyone can do that is free of cost, easy to honor and gets instant results?
Here it is: smile. Yep, that’s it. Smile.
I tried it today. Walking to the coffee shop, I smiled at 4 people on the street. Three of them immediately smiled back while the fourth acknowledged me with a head nod and a verbal greeting. By the time I got to the coffee shop, my day was already better. It continued as I smiled at the staff there as well as the patrons, finding nearly all of them were eager to return my smile with theirs.
I won't cite studies, but you've heard it before. Smiling makes us look and feel more attractive, boosts our mood and helps us stay positive.
Is it a revolutionary idea? No. Is it a little thing that can make a big difference? Absolutely. Try it.
Whatever you determine to do with 2014, I hope it leaves a big smile on your face. If it does, it will most likely leave a smile on the faces of those around you, too.
