“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

- Oprah Winfrey

Let’s face it: Almost no one holds true to their New Year’s resolutions permanently. It seems like the whole “New Year’s resolution” thing is a collective lark; a charade that everyone agrees on so as not to admit to actually starting the year with an extended hangover.

This year, take my advice and make a useful and realistic resolution. Stop focusing on such perennial classics as going to the gym more often, losing weight and quitting smoking. Think bigger, better and brighter, for you and for those around you. Beyond just giving you the right to say you quit something, certain resolutions will get you thinking about the big picture.

The following 7 resolutions are intended to make you a better person. Pick at least one and stick to it (that’s right, follow through — it’s not that difficult).

1. Be Grateful

If you don’t already thank people when they do something nice for you, start taking the time to notice just how many people help you over the course of a day. This applies on a large scale as well. If you consider all the people who have helped you in your life (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.), you might feel a bit better about humanity and stay humble as well.

2. Perform One Unselfish Act Regularly

That is, something for others from which you don’t benefit directly. It could be as small as carrying someone’s groceries, as generous as helping someone whose car is broken down on the highway, or as practical as teaching a friend something you know a lot about.

3. Spend Time With Family

Realize your family’s importance and pay special attention to those who might have been neglected lately. Visit the grandparents who don’t get out much or the cousin you used to be so close to.

You also might want to consider touching base with some old friends you’ve lost contact with. In every instance, you will be reminded of certain aspects of yourself that you forgot about and get back in touch with your roots.

4. Change One Negative Thing About Yourself

Be it jealousy, constant stress, misanthropy, always staying in, lying, or what have you, pick something that exudes negative energy and phase it out. Adapt to change and you will probably cause some pre-emptive elimination of future resentment (e.g., you might not take it personally when your local hockey team relocates, or when your old mechanic’s replacement makes a mistake on your car). Fixing the negative will increase your self-esteem, so believe in yourself.

5. Take Up a New Hobby

Pick something you’ve always wanted to do but have never followed through on — photography, skydiving, baking, whatever. Replace some of the time you spend watching bad television with your new hobby and you’ll feel productive and fulfilled. You can even take it a step further and learn about one of your loved ones’ interests.

6. Learn to Relax

Let that vacation time mellowness carry over into the New Year. If you get too stressed at work, give yourself an hour of silence each day, before or after your workday.

When you get home, don’t turn on the disturbing news programs or check your stocks. Find something that relaxes you — a game of solitaire, a puzzle, someone to talk to on the phone, a pet — and focus on it for an hour each day. Believe it or not, you’ll start to relax in the long run.

7. Listen More

Prior to listening, though, you will likely have to face the reality that you talk too much. Ask yourself: Am I just waiting to talk when others are speaking? If so, treat yourself to some humble pie and make a point to listen actively to others. Practice your listening skills with your spouse. Remember: “If he who listens, listens fully, then he who listens becomes he who understands.”

With one of these resolutions in your back pocket, you will be on your way to actually becoming a better person. A nice bonus is that once you feel yourself improving, in body and in mind, you will want to improve your life in other ways. One resolution could lead to a dozen more! So keep working on making yourself a better person.

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