If you pay attention to the magazines at the grocery store, the New Year is upon us. And with that is supposed to come a new me. I don’t know that I’m prepared to do a 180 right now, but a little self-evaluation never hurts.
I think I’ve admitted in this space before that I dislike New Year’s Resolutions. It feels a bit like setting myself up for yet another failure, and my ego can’t take any more of that.
But it appears as though I’m in the minority on this one. The Journal of Clinical Psychology reported that 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions, while another 17 percent infrequently make them. In 2015 the most common resolutions were to lose weight, get organized, spend less and save more, enjoy life more, and stay fit and healthy.
I wasn’t surprised by any of them, nor was I surprised to find that only 8 percent of people are successful in achieving these resolutions. What did surprise me was that nine of the top 10 resolutions were about self. Only one – help others in their dreams, in the eighth slot – benefitted someone else.
I suggested it last year, I know, but I’ll throw it out there again (since chances are that the few of us who made this resolution failed to keep it): this could be the year that we all become better partners. Resolve now to be a better husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend in 2016.
Popular website Popsugar recently posted a list of 32 traits of a good boyfriend as suggested by men. To me, these are 32 ways I might be a better wife, too.
Like the list of the most popular resolutions, this list of traits included several predictable responses: communication, respect, trust and loyalty probably came to your mind first. But there were more answers that I hadn’t predicted, but absolutely love. A good boyfriend lets his partner see his silliest self, pushes her out of her comfort zone, and tells her that she’s beautiful. He helps her grow personally, makes her laugh, and is her friend as much as her boyfriend. The other 22 are worth considering, too, and easily found through your preferred search engine.
But before I take the word of these randomly surveyed men, I put the question out to my Facebook friends. The women who answered represent most every phase of my life – high school on the North Shore, college south of the Mason-Dixon, and my adult life back here. I trust their judgement.
In the end, I found they echoed the Popsugar list. My Facebook page was filled with adjectives like supportive, encouraging, patient and kind. They suggested humor and laughter as the best remedy for stressful times, and that a great husband is one you can leave alone to hold his own at a party full of people he doesn’t know.
I’ll consider them all in the coming days, though I can’t promise I’ll make any kind of formal resolution Dec. 31. Best of luck to you, too, in whatever you decide to do.
