The start of new year may seem appealing to many as it means a fresh start and new beginnings for many exciting things that have yet to come. With the hope of having a good year, some may want to discard or let go of what may have gone wrong in the previous year to make the most out of this year. No matter what you’ve gone through, the most important part is what you’ve learned from the experience. We have some tips for you to get into the right state of mind at the beginning of the year so that the rest of this new year can be a good one for you.
1. Review last year’s big success and key learning
How was last year like for you? Was it good or was it bad? What was good or what bad about it? List out all of your achievements, both big and small, that you can think of, including important events that happened and experiences that you encountered. This can help you reflect on yourself. Seeing your own achievements can create a sense of pride. One year may not seem like a long time, but you may be surprised to see what you had gone through and how you’ve changed during this time. Most importantly, don’t forget to list down what you’ve learned from last year. This will give you a better idea of where to go from in the new year.
2. Visualize your success in the new year
The book called 7 Habits of Highly Effective People talks about a habit, begin with the end in mind, which is based on visualization. In other words, how would you like your new year to be? Do you want to learn something new, develop yourself, get a promotion, save more money, exercise more, eat better, or have better relationships with people around you? If you want to succeed in something, it starts with how you visualize it first. Seeing is believing. Visualization helps to create a mental image of a future event. When you visualize your desired outcome, you will begin to see the possibility of achieving it and start acting on it.
3. Set New Year’s Resolutions that are exciting but realistic
You probably already have new year’s resolutions, but this year, if you can make your resolutions a little more exciting, the excitement can help drive you to achieve those resolutions. Once you’ve visualized how you want your new year to be, write down what you want to achieve first. Prioritize your goals by looking at the timeline, which of your goals are short-term and which are long-term. Start by asking yourself some questions that are relevant to your goals. For instance, if one of your goals is to be successful in your career, your questions may include: what is the highest position that you want to achieve? How much money do you want to earn ideally? Being able to answer these questions will help you plan for your next step easier.
4. Create small wins every day
Having goals can keep you motivated as you have something to look forward to. However, there may also be times when you feel tired and want to give up due to many challenges and problems along the way. What can help is creating small wins that can be achieved on a daily basis. Small wins will give you a sense of accomplishment and encouragement that you’re making progress toward bigger goals. For instance, if your goal is to improve your English, in each day, you can set a goal for yourself to learn 2-5 new English words. Once you’ve done so, it will be your small win for that day. Examples of other small wins include:
– Making your bed right after waking up
– Washing dishes right after eating
– Cleaning up your desk
– Stretching at least 1 time per day
– Drinking at least 1 litre of water per day
– Reading at least 10 pages per day
– Finishing all the tasks due in each day
5. Celebrate and reward yourself
Once you’ve accomplished your small wins in each day, don’t forget to celebrate and reward yourself. Celebrating in this case can mean doing a simple thing that you enjoy, perhaps it’s taking your dog out on a walk, drinking coffee, or listening to your favorite music. Don’t forget to compliment yourself that you did a good job. Rewarding yourself can be done, for instance, at the end of each week after you’ve accumulated all of your small wins for 7 days. It can be treating yourself to your favorite restaurant, buying something nice for yourself, going out with friends, and so on.
Having an idea about what you want to do is a great way to begin your new year. A new year means a fresh start, so anything is possible! If you want to make changes, no matter how small or as simple as getting a new haircut, do it! Try to make the most out of your new year by setting goals for yourself so you have something to look forward to. Let’s hope this year will be a good year for everyone.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/having-sex-wanting-intimacy/202012/new-year-new-mindset
https://www.lifehack.org/396379/how-celebrate-small-wins-achieve-big-goals
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