2018 has started in a hectic way with so many ideas lining up that I felt like making my new year Resolution list. I usually don’t do any resolution but this year, after a long time, I felt the need of sitting down and drafting a sort of back-up for my new year goals.

2017 in review

The first half of 2017 was mostly focused on family issues and the second half of the year on business. A global branding of the site Rocky Travel took place. New make over. New theme. And an upgrade to SSL (the green padlock). 2017 has ended in a fantastic way, I am now in that part of the world that I like most, Australia. This made up for the difficult beginning of the year that saw me struggling with unexpected events.

Earlier in October last year I returned to Penang island, after 26 years from my first visit in 1991. While it was a bit of a shock to see how the population of this small island dramatically grew over the years, I am so thankful to have gone back to this amazing multicultural place that is Penang. My trip continued in Perth for 3 weeks. In December I went on a solo road trip in Tasmania and then I spent the rest of my time cycling and hiking in Melbourne's beautiful surroundings.

My new years goals for 2018

Last year I started 2017 in a slow-mode. No long-term plans but more time for reflection. I wrote a post about why I believe that anticipation is the engine and fuel of any project, either a personal, a business goal or a trip of a lifetime.

While I have been working towards a minimalist lifestyle for over 20 years, in 1997 I gave up on TV and in 2007 I sold my car.  Since then I haven't owned one any more. 2017 was the year I meant to become a full vegetarian, but didn't succeed. Well, I know that sooner or later this is going to happen. It's only a question of time.  For now, you can read my new year's resolution list for 2018.

My top 10 new year resolution for 2018

1. Be more productive and focused on important things. i.e. avoid the (many) sources of distraction.
2. Launching my own tours to Australia and in Italy. Yes. How exciting.
3. Learning French. It has been on my list for decades. And it will be language no. 5.
4. Be more social and keep up my old and new friendships around the world.
5. 
Do more walking, hiking & camping solo. I know I am addicted but there is no cure for it.
6. 
Plan in a few trips with family and friends too. I admit I need a balance.
7. 
Read more books (and hold them in my hands). At least 8-10 in a year. This will be a hard one.
8. Become a full vegetarian, postponed from 2017 to 2018. Let's see if this is the year.
9. Start my first video & podcast series. This is a truly challenging one.
10. Say “no” more often without feeling guilty about it.

This year is a year of substantial changes for myself and the Rocky Travel site, it's a work in progress with lots of exciting news and projects coming up. So, stay tuned for more updates.

How to make a resolution that works well for you

Yes, I can hear you, you hate new years promises that you cannot stick to. So you don't do any. Period. But often times the trick is a shift of attitude and how you approach your new year ideas and goals. Here are my tips on how to improve your efforts.

 Best way of sticking to new year's resolutions

• Change the approach to your new years decisions.
  See it more with a critical thinking while maintaining the focus on your goals. If something doesn’t work out the way you want, take the mishaps as a positive challenge and learn from your mistakes.
• Makes your own new year ideas work for you.
  Don't  become obsessed or too much numbers-minded. Finally the new years list serves to spur you to stay on track. By no means should it become an overwhelming chore.
• Use colours or names for each resolution.
  I love playing with colours because they bear different meanings and energy. Is health resolution no. 1 on your list? Then assign a colour to it or a name and place it on top of your list. Use colours to scale urgency, importance, priority or just to group categories like personal, social, work, exercise etc.
• Don’t let a dream remain a dream
  New resolutions are nice and look good until it comes to a real action plan. At some point you need to get it going. Drop an old habit and adopt a new one. For some people the slow process makes wonders. One little step at a time. Some others need a radical change. Like quit smoking on one day. Find the right way that suits you best and go for it.
• Focus on the journey not on the end result
  Usually we tend to focus on end results because this is what we finally want. But focusing on the entire step-to-step journey that gets you there helps you break down the work into chunks and reduce the stress. If loosing weight is your new year goal, embrace a step-by-step new way of living healthier rather than making weight loss to your obsession. This will lead to achieve the goals in a more enjoyable and (almost) stress-free way.
• Expect the unexpected.
  This is a classic. There is no plan that goes smooth from the beginning. When our resolutions look like a perfect plan, then reality sets in and disrupts everything. No perfect blueprint will make it happen overnight and there will be always something that prevents us from staying on track and drains our energy. Adjust to the situation. Reschedule priorities and deadlines with no feeling-guilty feelings.
• Keep track of your progress and alignment
  Keeping track of your work and results is good. Analysis is perfect. But one thing you should also check is your inner alignment with your resolutions list. Nothing can entirely work if you are not 100% aligned with it. You may be telling yourself I want that but deep inside you don't. To make things happen you need to be mentally, spiritually and emotionally aligned with your good resolutions. Some years ago I came across this great book which helped me greatly overcome my fears.
• Reading. Writing. Exercising.
  If you feel stuck try with what I call the 3-best-activator. Not all work well for everyone. For some may be just reading orw riting or exercising. For some all three together may be a good way to get inspired, eliminate negative emotions and foster balance.

Conclusions about good new year resolutions

I hope you find my new year resolution ideas helpful.

Do you have a resolution for 2018? Can you share it with us and tell us what you do to efficiently stick to it and make your dreams and plans happen?

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