New Years Resolutions for our Camp Carolina family

New Year's resolutions. Isn't it incredible how the approach of a new year brings reflection on the year just gone and a focus on how to make sure the shiny new year approaching is our best year yet as our best possible selves? We at Camp Carolina love this reflection and intentional goal setting but hands up if you have heard that up to 80% of New Year's resolutions are forgotten about by mid-January? Luckily, if you are a member of the Camp Carolina family, goal setting and working hard to be the True Gentleman gives us a step ahead of most in achieving our New Years resolutions.

We have been setting our goals over the past month and would love to share some ideas we have come up with to provide some motivation and ideas with our family. Check them out below!

Find a new hobby! Choose a new activity that YOU want to learn more about and get better at. The importance of self-reliance is an important value we hold close at Camp Carolina and choosing activities and interests at camp as an individual is something we should all strive towards. Make a short list of new activities and hobbies you have always thought about trying but never got around to and research with family which ones you might be able to try. Learn a new language? Learn to play the guitar? What about martial arts? We can’t wait to see your new skill next summer!

Spend more time outdoors! Appreciating the simplicity of life, the wonders of nature and the thrill of high adventure are an integral part of the Camp Carolina experience. We like to research 15 new hikes in our local through Roots Rated and make a poster to hang on our fridge and cross them off as we complete them throughout the year. You can do the same! How about include 1 bike ride, 1 kayak trip, 3 camping trips etc. Get your friends and family involved! Imagine at the end of 2020 framing that fridge poster as a memory of all the great outdoor adventures you experienced...

Read more! Reading and getting lost in a book is such a relaxing way to spend rest hour at CCB. Why not keep the tradition going by dedicating 1 hour a day to reading? You could sign up for Book of the Month Club and get a way cool book sent to you each month to explore. What about trading books each month with friends? Research Good Reads to find a category that interests you and get lost in pages of an exceptional read. Our favorite list? Wilderness Survival Reads which features Alfred’s favorite campfire book-The Hatchet!

Be kind to your body! Dedicate the new year to eating nutritious, delicious and healthy food and drinking enough water! Staying healthy and full of energy is incredibly important for having an awesome summer but without your friends and counselors support and daily fruit breaks you it can be difficult to keep this habit going. We like to use our Camp Carolina nalgenes and fill them with icy water in the morning (sometimes we add some fruit to add some flavor) and mark lines representing times when that amount of water needs to be drunk. At camp-fruit break is an easy way to eat 2 pieces of fruit a day. Why not add fruit to your packed lunch and eat it mid-morning and mid-afternoon, just like camp? Research weird and wacky in-season fruit and try something different. Let us know which ones you like and maybe we can add them to Fruit Break at CCB!

Be a True Gentleman. Being a True Gentleman (read it here) means a little something different to everyone. As Alfred explains (and like Nath explained to him), the True Gentleman is especially important when faced with difficult decisions. When faced with a difficult decision he reads the poems and find it helps him make a decision that is selfless, takes other people feelings into account and makes a choice that benefits all. You can also strive to be a True Gentleman every day. On public transport-give your seat up for someone who needs it more, help your family with clearing the table (cos everyone at CCB is a pro at this!), be a good friend and forgive others mistakes easily and with kindness. We like to read the True Gentleman Poem each morning before we begin our day and set an intention to do our best to be the best version of ourselves. Let us know how it helps you in the outside world!

Write more! Write with an actual pen and paper letter to an old camp friend or a counselor who you miss. Values of human relations is something we all work hard to instill and focus on each day at camp and imagine how good the world would be if everyone made this a priority? Well, let’s start with our CCB family! Something about receiving a letter in the mail instantly brings a smile to your face. A great New Years resolution is to write a letter a week. Before long, the smile will be on your face as the letters arrive in your mailbox! Check out some awesome camp style stationary to make the letters even cooler. To get friends/counselors addresses, please email kylie@campcarolina.com

Less time with technology! Dedicate yourself to less screen time and put your phone down for an extra hour a day. We love disconnecting at Camp Carolina and making the connections and memories we do without technology. Here are some simple ideas to get you started.

1. Call someone instead of texting. Text with a camp friend daily? How about call them on Facetime? We guarantee you won’t regret it!

2. Turn off your phone at meal times. Even better! Ask your family to get involved and have everyone put their phone in a lock box for dinner times.

3. Commit to not using your phone while you walk. When you're walking, no matter where you are, there is something new to see or experience. This small, easy change could add up to some amazing and memorable moments.

4. Turn off some notifications. Especially at night. Set your phone to ‘do not disturb’ when you go to sleep and decide which apps you REALLY want to be notified by.

5. Give yourself a set amount of “Social Media Time” each day and scroll guilt free for this set time. ​​

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Go green! Respect for our natural environment is a crucial component of our philosophy at Camp Carolina. Check out some easy changes to help with recycling in your home (we love Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Research volunteer opportunities to help clean up the natural environment in your area. Educate friends and family on what you have learned and spread your knowledge and respect for our natural environment far and wide!

Now comes the fun part! We recommend choosing 3 or less New Years Resolutions to pursue each year. Once you have narrowed it down to which ones you definitely want to achieve we like to map out a plan with an end goal (with small, achievable goals along to way) and create a visible reminder of the goals (like the hikes to complete on the fridge) idea. Put this somewhere you will see each day (like the fridge, your bedroom door). Bonus points if it is in a format where you can cross off some goals and succeed on a daily basis (like only scrolling through social media for 1 hour a day)!

Camp Carolina family-we would love to hear about your New Year's resolutions, celebrate your victories and join you on your journey. Share with us on Social Media what changes you are making in 2021. Remember always keep your Enthusiasm!, look back on each day and exclaim "What a Day" and strive to live by The True Gentleman in every moment of every day, no matter how big or small the moment is.