Think Local: The Best New Year’s Resolution

by | Dec 26, 2018

We all know that New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep but did you know that new year’s resolution statistics show that only 9.2% of resolutions are achieved? If you google “how to keep a New Year’s resolution” you will find a plethora of articles, blogs, and other information aimed at trying to help you commit to your new year’s resolution and succeed.

First, you need to understand why failure is almost a sure thing. Then the advice starts to flow and includes: making a plan, get a friend to help you, and writing down the reason why you want to achieve the goal. You can search “50 tips to keeping your new year’s resolution” and study the art of keeping these promises to yourself. But, that seems way too complicated and time consuming to us.

New year’s resolution ideas

Correction, the best new year’s resolution idea: think and do local more. And you can decide what this means for you and decide how much  is “more.”

Does it mean switching from a chain coffee shop to a local coffee shop or that you start shopping locally for books? Maybe it is about making 6 less trips to a chain retailer and 6 more to a local retailer. Perhaps you have been thinking about switching to a local bank. It could even be a decision to spend more money locally than you did last year and quantifying how much to spend.

So, as you can imagine, the options are limitless and, therefore, goals are easily obtainable. It is a very flexible yet beneficial goal.

Benefits of shopping local

The changes are not sacrifices either but they are infinitely rewarding. How are they rewarding? First, by shopping local, you transform yourself from nameless customer/data point to neighborhood friend (no need to have your name written on a coffee cup). Then there is the satisfaction of keeping the money you spend in your community and your city. Not to mention that you are supporting job growth, entrepreneurship, and lessening environmental impacts. Most of all, you are getting a unique, local experience.

A sampling of our think local resources

To help stimulate and inspire you, we wanted to provide some local information to peruse at your leisure.

This list is by no means comprehensive as we continue to build our knowledge vs the vast amount of resources out there. But if you think we missed an important resource, please reach out to us via the comments section below or by emailing us at [email protected].

If you have a passion for local and want more information on all things local, visit American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA). It is an outstanding resource. LOCALMOTIV loves it!

There is more to Oakland than just Jack London Square, Temescal, Rockridge, and Downtown Oakland.

To learn more about shopping in Oakland, Oakland neighborhoods, and other local experiences, we recommend you visit these websites:

  • Oakland Grown supports and promotes local businesses in Oakland
  • Visit Oakland is useful even if you live in Oakland and are curious to discover things you did not know about this diverse and vibrant city.

Neighborhood association websites are full of information:

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

You May Also Like …

The Raven’s Wing Magical Co.

When you read about "top reasons to shop local," one of them is going to be something like this: When you shop local you are actually supporting a merchant and your neighborhood. Certainly, we've called this benefit out more than our fair share of occasions. But...

read more
Why I Shop Local For the Holidays

Why I Shop Local For the Holidays

No, I didn't always shop local for the Holidays. And, when I saw this pic of Cynthia standing outside of her decked out Urban Indigo gift shop on Instagram, it reminded me of my evolving shopping attitudes. The Way it Was Once upon a very long time ago, in the 80s,...

read more
RESIST AND ASSIST: A CASE TO SHOP LOCAL TO FIGHT INEQUALITY

RESIST AND ASSIST: A CASE TO SHOP LOCAL TO FIGHT INEQUALITY

SHOP LOCAL TO FIGHT INEQUALITY? When we shop local, it is most obviously an act that supports a small business and its proprietor. Yet, it’s so much more than that. It fuels an engine that can drive us to an America that is prosperous — and equal and just — for all of...

read more