Top Ten New Year's Resolutions for Those Over Forty

The New Year is a time to take stock of the old year, note mistakes and decide what to do to better your life in the coming year.

For some of us that's forty plus years of resolutions.. Looking back you may have resolved to make a million dollars or to lose a hundred pounds. One look at your bank account and beltline will tell you those were unrealistic resolutions.

This year try to make resolutions you can keep. With each success you will find yourself closer to the kind of person you always wanted to be.

We suggest these Top Ten New Years Resolutions for Those Over Forty.

1. Lose 25 Pounds- That's a little over two pounds a month. The easiest way to go about it is to just walk more and sit less. Skip one television program a week and walk when you would have been sitting. Don't ask your child to "go get" something for you do it instead, take your dog or grandchild for a walk around the neighborhood instead of eating junk food and watch your weight stabilize or go down!
2. Learn a Language- You may not have time or money for lessons but if there is a library in your neighborhood all you need is a means to get there. Books, CDs and cassettes are available to help you learn nearly any language. You can even learn in your car. Help the new words sink in by visiting restaurants that employ people who speak your language. Explain that you are trying to learn their language and most will be happy to teach you a few words or phrases!
3. Save Money- Instead of putting a huge dollar amount on what you want to save, try putting your change in the bank every week. If you have the minimum amount to open a certificate of deposit you can add funds to it all year long that you will be unable to touch until it's maturity date. You will be surprised at how much money you can accumulate if you get into the habit of putting a little in each week.
4. Get a Better Job- Times are hard. Good jobs are hard to come by. You have probably heard it said "You are lucky to have a job right now." Don't let that stop you from trying to improve your life. Network with friends and relatives to enlist their help in finding an opportunity that others may not know of. Join your local chamber of commerce as a citizen member and use the meetings to get to know business leaders. Join a club or service organization to get a foot in the door of the business community. Volunteer as a fund raiser for the United Way as a method of scooping out places in which you think you might want to work.
5. Look Younger- You don't need expensive painful plastic surgery to improve your looks over forty. Sometimes exercise, clean water, quitting smoking, and eating healthy foods will do the trick. Berries and fish are fountains of youth. Eat a cup of berries every morning and substitute fish for red meat once or twice a week and watch your skin and hair begin to glow again.
6. Reacquaint Yourself with Old Friends- If there is someone from your past you that miss perhaps this is the year to re-introduce yourself. Social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook are excellent free ways to look up an old friend. Sometimes it's as simple as looking in the phone book or entering their name in switchboard.com. Be aware that many of your old friends are now married with families, and bear that in mind when you choose to say "Hello Again." Sometimes finding an old crush can crush those most precious to him or her so be careful.
7. Change Careers- If you are ready to make a change and you have the means to be unemployed for few months, perhaps it's time to take all that you have learned over the years and start your own business. There are many opportunities these days to buy a defunct business and breath new life into it or to start a new one. See your local Small Business Association (sba.org) for help and information.
8. Finish Your Degree- Every year you say you are going to take those few classes that you need to get your degree. Every year you balk at the thought of facing all those kids in the hallways and being confused for a professor or a parent. Don't worry. People your age are returning to class in record numbers. Night classes or online classes are now available at most colleges, perhaps even your old school!
9. Volunteer- If it's not on your resolution list it should be. Many schools, churches and service organizations are not funded well enough to hire those they need to do the good work they offer. With your years of knowledge and experience you can provide valuable service. The secret to volunteering is that you almost always get more out of it than you put in. The people that you meet and the good feeling you get from helping really improve your life!
10. Relax- You have decided that this is the year for that vacation to Europe or that new boat. Do it! If you can't afford a new yacht rent one for a weekend! If you can't make it to Europe go to Quebec or Mexico City! You deserve time to unwind and enjoy the world, there is always a way to get what you need, even if it's not what you originally wanted! Often the experience is better than the one you planned. Of course if you really need to see Paris go! In years to come you'll be glad you did.

Being over forty is wonderful, you have lived long enough to make your mistakes and learn from them, let this year be the year you don't start with the mistake of unrealistic resolutions and next year you will look back on your successful year with pride!