Today is the 1st of January. 2013 is over and 2014 is a book with 365 blanc pages for you to fill with important things to you. Like maybe learning more about Sweden, or gathering the courage to try some Swedish phrases out? What are your nyårslöften or mål för 2014?

nyårslöfte – new years resolution

mål för 2014 – goals for 2014

If you chose to learn 1 new word every day in 2014 then in a years time you will know 365 more words than you do now. And that can make a huge difference. Or maybe you are just fascinated over the differences between Sweden and a lot of other countries in the world? If so then I can recommend taking a lot at some of the other posts on this Swedish blog, because over the years subjects ranging from gamla svenska traditioner, lyrics for vanliga svenska sånger and great guides on the basics on Swedish grammar and phrases.

vanliga svenska sånger – common Swedish songs

gamla svenska traditioner – old Swedish traditions

This page has some great videos as well, many of which one of our bloggers Steve has made himself. If you have missed these then you really should check them out. Last year Steve wrote what some common new years resolutions in Swedish were. Check them out here.

I thought I would leave you with some tips to be able to succeed better with your new years resolutions. If you are interested in reading the whole article (which is in Swedish) then just click here.

When creating a new years resolution it isn’t uncommon that you want to change a problematic behavior, one that in the short term gives you pleasure of some sort but which in the long run is negative.

Tip nr 1: Find out what this negative behavior gives you.

Ex: Drinking several glasses of wine helps me destress and relax after a tough working week.

And then how you could achieve the same result but through better means.

Tip nr. 2: How important is this new years resolution? On a scale 1-10 (where 10 is really very important to you) where do you put your resolution? Then write down a couple of reasons you didn’t place the resolution lower on the scale. These reasons can then help motivate you during the year.

Tip nr. 3: Planning can help you achieve your resolution much easier than just promising yourself something. At the beginning of every week/day/month you can evaluate how things are going for you and smaller goals along the way can help make your big one more achievable. A reward system can also really help.

belöningssystem – reward system

Last and final tip: Formulate your resolution positively. For example: I’m going to eat vegetables 3 times a week. Instead of I’m going to stop eating chocolate.

Lycka till med era nyårslöften och mål. Nu kör vi!

(Good luck with your resolutions and goals. Let’s go!)