2017 has gone so fast. You have to admit all the years passed before 2017 were moving like a speed ball. And you realized, you barely accomplished some of your goals. Now, its 2018! Don’t let this year sneak up on you again. It’s time to take charge of what you are getting out of life. Here are 5 ways to start the year right.
- Do a yearly review
You can start off by evaluating where you’ve been and recall all the accomplishments you’ve made in the last year. From that, you’ll know where to start or continue.
To guide you with your evaluation, here are several questions that you should answer:
- What went well for me last year?
- What accomplishments did I have?
- How did I improve my relationships?
- What did I remove from my life that is now making me happier?
- What do I wish I had taken more time for?
Keep track of these questions and your responses in a journal, e-diary, or any notes that you can refer back to in the future. Your answers year after year will be very enlightening.
- Finish what you started
Remember your general to-do-list from last year with unchecked items? Do them now to clear your mind out of the old items. It was there for a reason in the first place. Finishing it might even give you a good boost to a fresher start.
Keeping projects around like pets doesn’t do you any good. They just add weight on your minds, especially if you spend 10 minutes of your time feeling bad about not accomplishing it. This will make you lose your focus and get distracted. Tick those things off your list and give yourself a new start.
- Be realistic
To dream about things is natural. But if you want to accomplish some improvements in your life, be realistic. As much as you may want something, it’s very likely you don’t really believe you can have it. If you did, you would already have achieved it. We have to turn a dream into something we can picture accomplishing before it can become a reality.
Take your dream and start breaking it down into milestones: if you want to work from home, what are the steps you need to take? Break those steps down further so you can create a game plan.
- Focus on what you really want
There are so many things you may want in life which tells so much about you. But sometimes you end up not living the dream or not having any of it. Lack of focus could cause all that because, believe it or not, only few people succeed by multi-tasking. Try to set your priorities and focus on it.
Ask yourself questions about your dreams in life. What are you doing in the dream? How are you living? Who is in the dream with you? What does a typical day entail?
These questions will help you define the lifestyle you really want, and give you ideas about how you can achieve that lifestyle. For example, if you see yourself relaxing by the fire with a good book and a cup of tea, ask yourself why you aren’t spending more time that way now? What things are in your way and how can you rearrange your priorities in order to have the lifestyle you really want?
- Put yourself at the top of the list
This might sound selfish but the truth is you really can’t help others until you help yourself. Taking care of yourself and striving to accomplish your own goals will make you a better friend, spouse, child or parent.
Going through all the process of achieving your goals will make you a better person. You get to discover your strengths and weaknesses, your attitude and understanding, and your principles in life.
Hope these 5 ways will effectively help you start off this year right. Let us know how it goes. Happy new year!