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As you all know (unless you're living under a rock), 2014, the New Year, is dawning. For some, 2013 has been a bad year; there was the typhoon in the Philippines not that long ago, in which many people lost their homes. Also, in England there was the hurricane which caused minor damage, especially along the coast. Even more recently in England, there was a massive storm surge that swept thousands of homes from the coast into the sea. In some ways, 2013 has also been an amazing year. Some of the disasters I mentioned brought around the chance for those who lost faith in humanity to have that spark re-ignited. Why? Because when disasters do strike, the amount of generosity shown by those who may have no connection with the disaster whatsoever is astounding.
When a new year comes around, people often start discussing resolutions. A resolution is a promise that you make to yourself to do something. Many people make resolutions, but to be honest, the majority break them a week into the New Year. If you want to make, but not break, your New Year's resolution, it has to be SMART. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time based. First, let's focus on the S. Having a specific resolution is a good idea. If it's something general like "I will do exercise next year", then you aren't specifying what type of exercise, how much you will do or when you will do it. The M in our acronym is already part of the S. Make sure you know, if you're exercising, how often you want to exercise, the intensity, etc. The A is about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. What are you good at, what are you not so good at? Try and challenge yourself, but don't go beyond your limits. For example, if you already know you really can't go a week without eating chocolate, don't make it a resolution. Also part of the A, how will you achieve it? The R is fairly simple. If your resolution was to become super man and save the world . . . that won't work, unfortunately. You could however, make a difference in your local community. Try donating old clothes, toys, etc to local charity shops. You could even resolve to smile at anyone who looks sad. The T is about setting you a deadline to achieve this target. This T isn't really necessary in some cases.
This year, my resolution will be Specific: I must be on time for form every day. Measurable: I will be on time every day. Attainable: I will set an alarm for 7.00 and I will go to bed no later than nine. I will not play Whyville into the night. Realistic: I know that I cannot get up before seven so I will set my alarm for a reasonable time. Time based: I will achieve this before school starts again. Always remember, resolutions don't always have to be of benefit directly to you or your family; perhaps your resolution could be to raise funds for charities, or to donate a little money to an organization once a month. There are so many things you could do to improve the lives of people all around the globe! Resolutions also depend on the kind of person you are and your circumstances. If you are like me, not yet an adult with a limited allowance, things to do with money probably aren't ideal. You could definitely try doing extra chores around the house without being asked, or stop fighting with your siblings so often.
With that in mind, what will be your resolution in 2014?
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