Jason Zweig, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, wrote this piece on suggested resolutions for a new year. I’m generally not big on resolutions, but some of these are great ideas. Here’s a few I’ve liked in particular:

Listening to what someone else is saying without hearing what you already think is one of the hardest challenges for the human mind. When you listen, listen as if your life depends on it. Otherwise, you’ll just hear your own words coming out of someone else’s mouth.

Say “I don’t know” at least 10 times a day. That will disqualify you for a career in politics but make you a better person.

Learn something interesting every day; learn something surprising every week; learn something shocking every month.

Don’t laugh at things you don’t understand. Take the time and trouble to understand them first. Most likely, you will find that once you understand them, they either become even funnier than you thought in the first place, or not funny in the least.

Never try to get other people to change their minds without first trying to understand why they think the way they do. Never do that without being open to the possibility that the mind that might need to change the most could be your own.

Work harder at making the familiar strange. Walk or drive a different route than your daily routine; work away from your desk; read something flamboyantly irrelevant; call someone you don’t need to call; look up at the sky instead of the concrete. When you turn back to your routine, it will feel freshened.

Get better at accepting compliments; despite all you know (and all they don’t know) about how the sausage was made, people still have a right to like what you did. And you have an obligation to thank them.

Tweet less; read more.

Talk less; listen more.

Say more: Use fewer words.