Happy New Year! by tanakawho
The beauty of New Year’s Day is the chance to start again. As a holiday it is a vivid reminder, on this one day of the year, to sit back and mull over your life and happiness. Discover what was good, what was bad, and what could be improved. Find what makes you happy, what you enjoy doing, and plan to do more of the same. Look at events and circumstances that didn’t turn out as you expected to see what you could do differently in the future.
There are so many opportunities for making our lives happier and more fulfilling, we may not know where to start. How about more relaxation and quiet time for ourselves? What about our desire for more time to spend with family and friends? Or maybe a chance for a little more adventure, a class to learn to cook or paint, or starting a plan to improve our health? The problem is that we believe tomorrow will always be there, that we will always have more time.
Luckily for all of us, every day is a new day, and every day is a chance to change what we don’t like or what doesn’t work for us. All we have to do is take the time to look at our life, at both the good and the bad. Once we decide what we want to work on, we just need to take action and get started. We don’t have to be perfect at first; we just need to get started.
New Year’s is our chance to begin anew. It’s time to write fresh, inspiring new goals. Time to brainstorm fantastic new ideas and try out new habits and lifestyle changes. It’s “do-over” day. This is our opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past, and make better choices each day.
Most of us simply procrastinate from not knowing how to begin. What should we work on first? How do you we get become more patient, or stop being late? How can we replace our bad habits and negative behavior with new options? Where do we go for help?
Don’t let the busyness of life keep you from your goals. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Visit the library. Read a self-help book, thumb through a magazine or get a how-to video or audio tape on the subject.
- Join a cooking club, a weight-loss group, or volunteer to learn a new skill.
- Keep a written list of your goals in a notebook or on your computer. Set dates to check your progress.
- Schedule 30 minutes, 3 times a week to work on your goals.
- Ask a friend, coworker or someone you admire to be a mentor.
- Volunteer. It will give you a feeling of satisfaction to help others and you can learn a new skill at the same time.
- Cancel an obligation you don’t want, so you have room for one you do.
- Reward yourself. After doing the dishes, walking the dog, exercising and picking up the bedroom, watch your favorite TV program for an hour or have a slice of chocolate cake for dessert.
- Make an unpleasant task pleasant. Listen to music, wear a comfy shirt or your favorite blue sweater, pretend to be Sherlock Holmes solving a mystery while picking up the house, or take a 10 minute stretch break for every hour of chores.
- Internet. Use the web to find other people who have accomplished what you want to do. Learn their secrets. Join a group with the same goals.
- Find a “Good” buddy. Get a friend to help you gauge your progress and have a weekly call-in to make sure you stick to your rules.
- Focus on what you want, not what you don’t. Instead of worrying about not getting enough exercise, turn off the TV for an hour each night – after work or after dinner, and walk the dog, take the kids to the park or have a basketball game with the guys.
- Ask for help. From your spouse, your friend, your mother, your preist, or whoever you trust.
Also see my other post at Fun Spirit: New Year Do-Over.
