Family Resolutions for 2014

Family Resolutions for 2014

While you may have been firing on all cylinders since the start of 2014 to make some positive changes in your life, what about making a difference for others in your family too? Given that all our lives are so interconnected with those of our nearest and dearest then it makes sense to extend resolutions beyond the personal and into the family zone too.

Congratulations if you’re putting in some effort towards creating some much-needed differences in your lifestyle for 2014. While you might be focused and determined, and have the rest of your loved ones onboard, have you given any thought to creating family-wide changes that will benefit you all? It’s not too late to create some achievable family resolutions for the rest of the year, if you follow some simple guidelines:

Enjoy brainstorming

Even if some of the resolutions you want to make as a family have a serious edge to them, it’s not necessary to make the whole process boring or overly earnest. Sit down as a family and chat about how you all see your lives together and what you would like to change. Think about proactive, interesting and engaging ideas, rather than an opportunity to criticize others. Forget, the ‘we would if we could but we can’t’ style attitude. Have fun and make sure you focus on health and fitness.

Don’t overcomplicated it

If you make family resolutions overly complex then the risk of failure is higher. Keep the ideas broad at first, such as deciding to spend an active hour together as a family three times a week. You can fine tune these thoughts and create specific events throughout the year, but don’t tie yourself in too tightly from the start.

Be practical but creative

You might be set on spending an afternoon each weekend keeping fit but that doesn’t mean that you have to simply go for a Sunday walk every week. There are so many ways you can inject adventure, exploration and fitness into activities, that will appeal not just to kids but parents too. Don’t let the ultimate aim deter you from thinking outside the box and doing things a little differently.

Schedule in a diary

Good intentions often don’t materialize into action unless they are pinned down into solid plans. Rather than voice ideas and then hope you remember to stick to them when the time and opportunity arises, get a family diary opened and add in details and dates, so that nobody can use the excuse of double-booking or forgetting about arrangements. With creative ideas, try and plan ahead for each month at least. What are you doing this weekend, and next, for example?

Keep a record

You could see a log of your family resolutions as a way of monitoring what you do and getting you to stick to your initial plans. However, you can also create a record that is much more than that. Get a scrapbook or journal and add interesting mementos, photos and comments about your time together as a family, to add another dimension to healthy family time.

Allow for individual ideas

To work together as family it’s vital that you recognize that you are all individuals. It is possible to please everyone if you adapt ideas to fit with personalities, interests and ages. You might want to combine two activities or add a twist to how you approach a particular day out together, to appeal to all, otherwise the family dynamic might be a little demotivating to say the least.

Include flexible options

When you are considering the busy lives of a few people and trying to find space to spend quality time together, then the reality is that there are going to be times when something’s gotta give. If you don’t want this to be your well-thought out family resolutions, then add in some options for greater flexibility. Resolutions work if you continue with them and if they are too rigid then they are at risk of breaking altogether.

Can we help you with your personal and family resolutions? Get in touch.