List of ideas for New Year's Resolutions

As we move toward the new year, many of us think about what we can do differently to improve our lives. Here are some ideas I have. As you think of each point below consider if the idea could apply to you for the next year.  If you don't like my list create your own version. See what emerges and send me your ideas as I like to keep busy.

1. Write your life story to better understand your values

2. Work towards making peace with family members

3. Take time to deal with your fears

4. Examine your soul or a piece of it at least

5. Finish your novel or begin it and then finish it

6. Study Romanian as part of a process of getting to know my ancestors

7. Become aware of the need for open space and work to get open space preserved in your town

8. Organize a family reunion

9. Develop a poetry writing program

10. Get people talking about domestic violence by using movies as conversation starters

11. Use the design and painting of public murals as a community building process

12. Make peace with your siblings

13. Become more of an expert on film history and see where it takes you

14. Run for city council/school trustee or some other public office

15. Awaken your town to the need for clean energy

16. Teach new parents parenting skills

17. Study web design and blogging and teach others how to get their voices heard

18. Learn video techniques and create a video blog about the good things happening in town

19. Build community cohesion by sponsoring community gardens

20. Spread your love of good writing into the souls of others

21. Joining others to open an organic fast food restaurant

22. Join a movement to promote light rail transportation

23. Make an ongoing study of socially responsible projects and post them online for others to consider pursuing

24. Make a study of Ulysses aiming to understand at least 40% of it

25. Work on your life lists (birds, movies, books, songs, etc.) and teach them

26. Teach life story and political theatre techniques to others.

27. To travel to more places--and to be prepared as much as possible

28. Hold organizational meetings on co-housing and other models for cooperative living and working

29. Work further afield:

30. Study folk healing and write about it

31. Mobilize support for better treatment of veterans

32. Produce a movie on cross-cultural attitudes towards death, dying and grieving

33. Work to develop measures for evaluating corporate responsibility

34. Join a health team to reduce the spread of preventable illness.

35. Learn to look beyond the obvious

36. Teach conflict resolution techniques

37. Question all paradigms

38. Document your walking of an ancient pilgrimage route

39. Be on-call for emergency relief work for the Red Cross

40. Work to restore a historically significant building in your region

41. Let your photography tell the story of children that are important to you

42. Stay curious--stay open

43. Hike the peaks and valleys of your country

44. Help search for intelligent life in the universe

45. Focus attention on the effects of big oil pipelines on Northern BC, and the North Coast.

46. Interview contemporary artists for their views on art and social change and ways to save the planet

47. Go behind history: examine a historical event that has shaped your life and see where it takes you

48. Join a local charity or other organization to have your mind and imagination reshaped

49. Take up the heroes in your life and move their agenda forward

50. Trace the route of a famous explorer with a friend of yours

51. Lead trips to countries of specific interest of yours for Elderhostel

52. Spend time in another country and see what that does to shape your personal mission