It’s a blank slate, a fresh start, a new beginning—a new year. Here are six simple ways to get it started right.
Mark Your Memories
Before the memories of the last year get fuzzy in your mind, take some time to reflect back and write down those moments you enjoyed, that you’re grateful for, that helped you in your life, that taught you something, that were beautiful, that seemed magical, and those that you simply want to remember.An easy way to jog your memory is to go back through your journal, if you keep one, or go through your photos from the past year, beginning in January.
Look Within
There’s not one person reading this who wouldn’t like to improve themselves in one way or another. Such is the human spirit. Take a moment to look within yourself and consider the ways you’d like to improve yourself this year. Perhaps you’d like to become more fit, more patient, less fearful, less messy. Think about the kind of person you hope to be in the new year. Think of who you are when you’re at your absolute best—the person you know you can be at your highest potential.Write down your aims for the new year in a place you can look at daily or weekly throughout the year as a reminder.
Look Outside
Next, consider the people in your life and those you affect and influence. You may think of your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, fellow community members, and all of the people you are connected to in some way. How can you be a positive and uplifting influence in their lives this year? How can you better play your role in their lives and serve as many people as possible?Even if you feel as if all you bring to the table is a warm smile and a caring heart, which is no insignificant offering, think of how you can foster that fully this year.
Visualize Your Outcomes
What do you hope to accomplish, do, see, or become this year? Take the time to imagine in your mind’s eye the outcomes you hope for. What would their fruition do for you, for your loved ones, for your community, or for the larger society? Why do you feel compelled to strive for those outcomes?Write down your goals and the fundamental reasons you feel the need to accomplish them this year.
Audit Your Habits
Daily habits can seem like small, perhaps even insignificant, things, but the small actions we take daily have an enormous effect on our lives in the long term. What habits do you want to continue and strengthen in the new year? What new habits do you want to establish? How will you go about implementing those new habits in your life each day?Plan to Celebrate
As you make progress throughout the year—whether that’s in your character improvement, your positive effect on others, your advancement toward a particular goal, or simply your appreciation for the many blessings in your life—think about how you’ll celebrate. Perhaps you’ll be planning a family party to celebrate a milestone this year. Perhaps you can celebrate simply with a weekly review of your progress one afternoon each week. Perhaps you’ll track progress in your fitness, your finances, or some point of momentum toward a specific aim.It can be easy to forget to celebrate your life, but celebration is a way to embrace a heart of gratitude and recognize that, even if slow, you’re learning, growing, and progressing in your life.
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