Resolutions

Daily Resolution: Cook with a Secret Ingredient

If you have ever watched the Iron Chef, you know about a “secret ingredient”. For those of you who are not familiar with the popular cooking show, the premise is for chefs to creatively and competitively use a selection of secret ingredients to create a delicious meal. Be your own Iron Chef for a day or even a week. Choose some food item you have never used in a meal before. Follow a recipe or create something impromptu. Check out this list of secret ingredients, too!  “Allez Cuisine!”

Daily Resolution: Protect the Crown Jewels

Take an inventory of personal valuables (especially jewelry), and be sure you have insurance coverage on any items that have more than sentimental value. Consider inconspicuous hiding places for your jewelry when you are not home for extended periods of time. There are many items on the market to help “hide” things such as fake ice cubes!  Just don’t forget where you have put things! Read more about the best and worst places to hide your valuables.

Daily Resolution: Get Ahead On The Holidays

Plan ahead and brainstorm a timeline for yourself now, so the world does not come crashing down one week before the holidays. Pay particular attention to things you can do early.  If you are traveling for the holidays, get your arrangements squared away: accommodations, tickets, and any other reservations. Brainstorm gift lists. Get gift wrapping items. Buy baking ingredients for holiday goodies. Taking care of small things early will help you and others to enjoy the holidays more later.

Daily Resolution: Make a Screen Debut

Find yourself a free and fun screensaver to protect your screen when you are not working on your computer. There are many free ones to be found online and programs to create your own. Change it from time to time especially if it can be seen by others. Explore what the computer already might have stored for your use.

Daily Resolution: Whistle While You Work

Choose a tune to whistle in a public place today. Challenge yourself with something versatile. Note the reactions of colleagues, family, or friends. It could be a conversation starter or a mood lifter. Try not to overdo to the point of being annoying. Have a “go to” tune you can execute well. Can’t whistle? Try to learn.

Daily Resolution: Throw Yourself a Life Line

Someday your personal life’s details will be reduced to a small chip. In some ways, we are already there. Until we reach that point for complete easy access, having important information available could be life-saving.  What happens if you become incapacitated and cannot communicate? Keep a short list of medical conditions, allergies and critical medications in your wallet or purse…just in case.

Daily Resolution: Count Down Calories or Carbs

Informally tally up your calorie or carbohydrate intake for one day (depending on your chosen food pyramid).  Read labels when they are available. Don’t change regular eating habits; just pay more attention to what you are taking in. Grazers beware. Those extra trips to the kitchen for a mid-day snack or an added handful of something may be costing more than you know. MyFitnessPal is a great app for tracking calories if you decide to do it regularly and it connects to all other kinds of exercise apps too!

If you need to take action based on your observations, think it over after you have that final cookie.

Daily Resolution: Change a Scary Reflection

Someone once told me that bathrooms are made to create a bit of an illusion, sort of like mirrors in a funhouse at a fair. The standard lighting fixtures are often chosen to present a “glowing” and “air-brushed” looking you. The lighting may have a slight tinge to it instead of bright white light. Your make-up and/or clothing may even look different depending on which bathroom you use. Try getting ready for work in a new room to see if it does not change the way you prepare for the day. But don’t get dressed in the dark!