Every January we all make New Year Resolutions. Get fit. Lose weight. Be more organised. Whatever it is, if you’re anything like me, by day three you’ve indulged in a big piece of cake and not made it to one gym class! That’s why I really loved this post via a Cup of Jo. ThoughtCatalog has but together 26 Things Every Person Should Do For Themselves At Least Once A Year.

There are some great ideas – like listening to a cd from your past. (Yes, I indulged in a bit of Oasis’ Definitely Maybe) and evaluating your life every year on your birthday (instead of Jan 1st.) Here are a couple more:

Go on a trip where the travel portion is just as crucial as the event or destination. It can be a long drive, car ride, train, flight, cross country road trip – whatever. Go have a blast along the way, make it insane. 

Take yourself out to dinner. Eating alone is, by contrast, often very calming (if you can get past the cultural notion that you should always eat with somebody, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t!) But eat dinner by yourself, at a restaurant, at least once. You’ll see what I mean.

But my personal favourite was this one:

Do something surprising and unbelievably kind for someone who will not expect it (send flowers to a random friend, Paypal someone $100 for a massage, buy someone you love a really nice, special dinner). Something that is so generous you couldn’t possibly do it regularly, but that would make somebody else’s year complete, to know that somebody cared enough about them to do something at that level.

These posts are usually the ones you read, share on Facebook or pin to your ‘must dos’ and then forget all about. So today I jumped right in. I paid for someone else’s parking ticket. Some almost-tears almost fell. It felt good. So one down 25 to go.

Any thoughts? What kind of things do you do once a year to help yourself or others (or both?). And what would you add to the list? I’d suggest getting a really, really good haircut (it’s the one thing you wear every day so totally worth the investment).