There is nothing more exciting than a whole new year ahead of you. Think of all the amazing things about to unfold in the months to come!
How can you be assured this year is going to be absolutely fantastic right from the start?
Think Positive...
You start in your mindset. If you feel like the year is overwhelming and full of trials, you're going to get precisely that. On the other hand, if you start out with thoughts of positivity and focus instead on the good you are far more likely to have a fantastic year. The crucial thing here? Don't just look at one area of your life but allow yourself to find happiness in every aspect. What does your dream year look like in terms of your job? In your relationships? At home? Look for what satisfies when you lay this out in your mind. Where are you at your absolute best?
Close Out the Past...
Now that you have this glorious vision of what's to come, it's time to shut the door on what's holding you back. The last thing you need is to drag a lot of old baggage into your new year. How to do this? It's a relatively simple three-step process.
1. Ask yourself what your expectation was on whatever it is you're holding onto.
2. Obviously, whatever you wanted hadn't happened, or you wouldn't be holding onto it now. Answer this question: what happened instead?
3. Now ask yourself what you can take away from the experience? This lesson is important because it's what you're going to use to move on. It might be there's some adjustment necessary in what you've been doing to prevent this from happening again.
Once you've processed all this, you're ready to leave the past behind and move forward into your bright new future.
What does this future involve? Here's where you need your goals, the more specific, the better. A good goal is something you can measure somehow, is relevant to what you're wanting to accomplish in your life.
Understand the Dream...
These goals need to be attached to something bigger. What's the big picture? If you don't understand this, you'll never keep those smaller goals alive in the year to come. Knowing the why is what's going to give you the motivation to move on. For example, you might have the goal of quitting smoking. Why? Maybe you want to be healthier for the sake of being there for your kids as they grow up. Dreams are what keep us going.
Act...
You have the roadmap, but it's worthless if you never take action to get there. Schedule the steps needed to reach your goals, then do them. Simple, right?