YOUR NEW NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
We’ve found the new New Year’s resolution that’s going to last. Gardening is an enjoyable and profitable way to achieve all the things you want to in this coming 2018 year: staying fit and healthy, living life to its fullest, spending time with family, getting organized, saving money, and learning something new.
New Year’s is the time of resolutions. January 1st of any year marks the beginning of a journey to a better you—a you that achieves all the goals that you set for yourself on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, that journey is easier begun than completed. New Year’s goals have a bad habit of petering out by mid-March as our motivation fades. Often, our goals feel further away than ever.
This 2018 year, we’re opting to break the cycle. We fully intend to keep our New Year’s resolutions this year, and we’re motivated to see them through to 2019. The question is…how do we make this year different?
Newswire did a poll, and they discovered that, more or less, most people set the same resolutions. Most goals fall into one of 7 categories—either directly or indirectly. Thirty-seven percent of people, for example, set a goal to stay fit and healthy. Thirty-two percent decide they want to lose weight every new year, and twenty-eight percent of people will be striving to enjoy life to the fullest in 2018.
Spending less and saving more comes in the fourth most popular goal with 25%. Then, pulling percentiles in the teens, spending more time with family and friends, getting organized, and developing a new hobby are all pretty much evenly committed to on January 1st
Even if they differ slightly from year-to-year, our goals pretty much look like one of these 7 categories every single year: stay fit, be healthy, enjoy life, value family, save money, get organized, learn a new hobby.
Making these goals last is the hard part. Goal setting 101 says to be specific. To increase your chances of successfully achieving your goals, choose an activity or way of living that fulfill those categories, but is also attainable and concrete. Tying a specific activity to “staying fit and healthy,” for example, grounds your goal in something definitely achievable, and therefore, something you’ll be less likely to shirk on.
The good news is that we’ve removed the brainstorming from your New Year’s resolution. We’re offering that gardening be your New Year’s resolution. I know, I know. This isn’t a surprise suggestion from us. But read on, and let us convince you.
Gardening on a daily basis will, over time, fulfill all of the abstract goals that the majority of people want to attain in the New Year’s. Here’s how.
1. Stay Fit
It may be hard to believe, but gardening regularly will vastly improve your physical health. In our opinion, “staying fit,” includes much more than keeping your fat content low and eating healthily.
By simply being out in the sun for some portion of the day, you’ll consume vitamin D (a vitamin usually desperately needed by urbanites). And this vitamin D will actually boost your immune system.
But there’s more to it. Gardeners are notorious for having dirt under their fingernails, and it turns out that the dirt is more of a health boon than you could imagine. Soil contains a special kind of bacteria called mycobacterium vaccae. This bacteria directly alleviates symptoms of psoriasis, allergies, and asthma, and will keep your body fit.
Furthermore, the food you grow will be generally low in calorie. With lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, and carrots in your backyard, you’re way more likely to consume your calories in these foods. So if your goal is maintaining or encouraging weight loss, gardening is a great way to embark upon this journey.
And yes, it’s true (although we generally reference it in relation to older people.) Gardening means movement. In no way is it an alternative to working out, but the reality is, any sort of movement is better than sitting and watching TV.
2. Be Healthy
Food grown from your own garden is the freshest food you can eat. There’s no cross-country shipments, no freezing and unfreezing, no picking weeks before the food is ready, and no gene-splicing. When you grow and harvest from home, you’re eating food that has avoided all of these unnatural processes.
Furthermore, the food is allowed to fully ripen on the vine. This gives vegetables enough time to develop entirely and, as such, they achieve their maximum nutrition value.
Plus, things grown in a garden are good for you! With us, you’ll grow vegetables and fruit, which are nutrient dense. High fat and high carbohydrate foods are simply unavailable on the vine.
Besides, if you grow your own veggies, you’re doubly likely to eat veggies. Here’s a tip: if you don’t think you’re fond of a specific veggie, try growing it. You’ll have a new appreciation for the variety, and you’ll be way more willing to try it. (Alright, alright. This tactic is admittedly not quite so effective for adults, but it gets great results for children!)
3. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
It’s the most famous goal of all, and the hardest to achieve. Research has also shown that people who garden increase their life happiness. Specifically, people are generally happier after they garden than before they begin.
The reasons for this are many and varied. Gardening a little every day will stimulate you creatively and cognitively, and it’ll give you something to feel proud about—no matter how you feel about the other elements of your life. Additionally, the joy one gets from working hard and reaping the fruits of one’s labor is really fulfilling.
Also, a theory called “the biophilia hypothesis” says that humans have a wide-spread and strong desire to interact with other forms of life. In other words, people are wired to love plants and growing—it’s part of our DNA.
All of the above are reasons that gardening can help you live life to the fullest. But there’s one more way gardening will help you achieve your 2018 goals. Growing anything—plants, people, careers—develops an important part of our human capacity: our innate ability to nurture. At Gardenuity, we’re huge proponents of this, and we think that developing that part of ourselves leads to a more full life.
4. Spend More Time with Family
Spending more time with family and friends nearly always makes the New Year’s resolutions list. Throughout the year, we’re inundated with work and ambition, and often, our loved ones get left behind. So, this year, set aside time specifically for them by creating a specific hobby meant to be enjoyed with and by them.
Not only is gardening is extremely healthy for your children’s development, it’s also an easy and exciting way to get everyone in the family involved. Measure your plant’s progress regularly with your kids, assign specific responsibilities to each family members or roommates, and simply enjoy the sun with your family and loved ones! The good news is that a garden always needs regular tending, so you’ll be motivated to set aside the time regularly to spend with your family. In 2018, there’ll be no excuse to forget spending quality time with your loved ones.
5. Spend Less, Save More
This one’s simple. The truth is, growing your own veggies means you don’t have to buy them at the store. And yes, you need to buy the gardening supplies, but in the end, you’ll actually be saving.
In any case, raising your own garden is a complete experience—let alone the joy that comes from reaping, spending time with family, and setting up dinner parties to enjoy your rewards. In the end, you’ll be saving money you might be spending on other experiences otherwise.
6. Get Organized
We’re proud to say that gardening with Gardenuity is as easy as possible. But generally speaking, plants are high maintenance. They require love and tending regularly. Whatever the day, whatever your schedule, they probably need checking on.
If getting organized is one of your goals this 2018 year, consider growing as a way to jumpstart that journey. You will simply have to organize your time, resources, and energy so that your plant will survive. We send emails, but you can use gardening as a happy excuse to keep a daily planner or start a to-do list.
Your plant is reliant on you, and no matter what, you’re responsible for it. That being said, if you have to rely on us to begin with, we’ll help you towards a better, organized self.
7. Learn a New Hobby
Obviously, garden! It’s your new hobby, and it’s one we think you’ll love for a lifetime. More importantly, gardening is the type of hobby that will develop real skills and increase your know-how. The more you garden, the more you’ll learn about plants, growth, and the environment. After some time, you’ll be able to adjust how much you water and feed a plant based on your mere observation skills and knowledge.
In our opinion, setting goals is really integral to personal progression. Even though they’re often quite difficult to keep up, New Year’s resolutions are a great excuse to start afresh, with new goals geared to achieve our life’s hopes. This year, make your New Year’s resolution specific and enjoyable. This way, you’re more likely to continue with your goals throughout the entire year.
We obviously suggest gardening, but any activity is a good start. Years of New Year’s resolutions may make setting a new goal daunting, but this is your year! We have total faith in you.
In any case, have a happy New Year’s! And may your goals this year last longer and be more fruitful than last.
