I read a statistic recently that over half of all Americans do not make New Year’s resolutions. Putting aside the arguments that “they don’t work” (they do for some people) and “they haven’t worked for me in the past” (maybe you need to make them more specific or manageable) and “they’re stupid” (you’re entitled to your opinion) I suspect that many people don’t make them because they don’t think they need to. On the personal front, you might be happy with your level of exercise, and don’t want or need to lose weight. On the professional front, you’re happy, or at least satisfied, with your job, and don’t feel the need to push further. If your job performance is tied to your salary, you might not even need another external motivator. If not, you might not care about doing better (though I’ve noticed that most professionals desire to perform well at their jobs even when salary or promotion ability isn’t tied to their skill level).

To those of you who don’t plan to make a serious personal or work-related resolution, that’s fine. I’m not going to push you. But I am going to ask you to consider this:

Make a FUN resolution.

What’s a fun resolution? You might argue that there’s no such thing. All resolutions, by definition, require commitment. Commitment is rarely easy, and fun things should be easy. What I mean by a “FUN” resolution is choosing to focus on something that gives you joy; so much so that committing to it fills you with inspiration and motivation. One thing I learned this past year is that focusing on the positive things in life really WORKS. When I spend time each day on things I love- work on my novel, blogging, caring for my family, music, reading, and exercise- my brain is filled with thoughts of those things. And when my brain is filled with happy thoughts, there’s much less “negative space” available for sad, anxious or depressed thoughts to breed. I’m a naturally anxious person, but I’ve become much less so in the past year by focusing on my passions- things that are “fun” for me, even if they require work and commitment. This discovery was vital to my personal happiness, and I hope some of you choose to discover it in 2014 too.

Examples of “fun” resolutions:

For the bookworm: Make a list of books you want to read in 2014. Even a short list will give you a few titles to look forward to throughout the year. Choose a time each day to sit down and read without distractions. Even ten minutes is enough to get your brain moving in a new direction.

For the chef: Decide to master a new skill, such as chopping an onion more efficiently, or learning to use a new kitchen tool. Becoming more proficient at something you enjoy brings pride and contentment.

For the fashionista: Choose to try an online stylist like Stitch Fix, catalogue your wardrobe for putting together your best outfits, or get a subscription to InStyle. Moments of happiness will crop up during your day when you spot yourself in a mirror or peek into your closet.

Heck, you could even resolve to watch more TV, if you like. For my holiday bucket list, I resolved to watch 14 Christmas movies in December, and it turned out to be great for me, because I gave myself permission to sit on the couch and turn off the rest of the world (something that’s hard for me).

Keep in mind that even “fun” resolutions need to be specific. A vague “I’m going to do something adventurous this year,” might not happen, but a specific “I’m going to go parasailing while on vacation,” and a note on the calendar a few weeks before departure to look up parasailing companies, will likely get followed through.

Do I have you convinced? Share your “fun” resolutions in the comment section, on Facebook, or send me a tweet @sowulwords, #funresolutions!

For my part, I’m making fun AND serious resolutions for 2014.

My serious resolution, something I’m not necessarily going to find fun, but will make me healthier (and probably happier) is the clichéd “lose weight.” I’d like to drop 10-12 pounds. That will put me below my pre-pregnancy weight. While I’m not overweight, I was headed in a slimmer direction when I got pregnant, and I’d like to finally meet that goal. I plan to accomplish this by continuing my 180-220 minutes of exercise per week; eating fish at least twice a week; having a serving of vegetables for morning and afternoon snacks; and not consuming sugar before dinner. (We already don’t keep sugary treats in the house- except during the holidays- so that will cut down on desserts, which are my kryptonite.)

My fun resolutions, ones based on my passions and things that give me joy, are:

1. Read a Shakespeare play every month (up from my original goal of one every two months) and journal about how the play affects my perception of life.

2. Double my blog readership; play with the format of the website; get comfortable with Photoshop.

3. Find an agent, and hopefully a publisher, for my novel; do research on a second novel and write 2-3 drafts before I return to teaching in September.

4. Keep writing and sending out material for guest blog posts, magazines, literary journals, and writing contests.

5. Continue to focus on gratitude and positivity. (I’ll get more specific about that in a post next week.)

Whether you make resolutions or not, I wish you all the best in 2014. And remember to let me know if you make any #funresolutions!