With a New Year comes new plans, new perspectives, and the desire for a new way of living your life. We won’t say ‘new year new me’, but you catch the drift. There comes a time when you just feel ‘done’ with living the same life you’ve lived for the past ten years. You yearn for change - doing things differently; thinking differently and as a result: achieving more, feeling more fulfilled, and feeling prouder of the path you’re on.
While many of us are afraid of change, there comes a point when we actually want change - and what better time than at the beginning of a new year, when we can start again on a clean slate? So, how do we ensure that this new way benefits us? Well, we’ve put together all the changes you should consider making, to guarantee 2018 is your year!
Travel more
Travelling is always a good idea - and it should be done more often! Travelling has a positive effect on our lives, our souls and our minds. Travelling allows us to learn not only about the world at large, but about ourselves too. We begin to form new perspectives, we become more worldly-wise and studies show that it can even make us more understanding towards others. While travelling is a learning experience it’s also fun and exciting and injects life back into our lives. Seeing new places, trying new things, meeting new people and broadening our horizons is indeed a form of therapy - and will certainly make 2018 a year to remember!
Follow Your Heart
This is the year to push the doubts aside and listen to your heart. You can never go wrong with following your heart - it always knows what’s best. So, if there is something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t gotten around to it because of that little voice inside your head called ‘doubt’, then now is the time to make a change. Now is the time to let that small voice know who’s boss and do whatever it is you’ve been telling yourself you can’t do. This point is vitally important in making 2018 your year - and, in fact, by following this point you are guaranteed to step onto the path that is meant for you, and that you can be proud of.
Get Organized
There are plenty of things that need organizing - whether it’s your closet, your desk at you work, or the debt you have gotten yourself into. There is always an opportunity to organize some part of your life - and you’ll feel a whole lot better after you tackle it, rather than leaving it to turn into a chaotic mess. Write down all the things you need to get to and schedule a time for the operation clean-up. They say that if there is unfinished business in a person’s life, it can cause anxiety and may lead to depression. So, best you get to the areas that need attention!
Recognize Opportunities
This is the year to recognize opportunities - and jump at them, rather than pass them up like you’ve done in the past! The most successful people in the world recognize everything as an opportunity - even those moments that come dressed up as an inconvenience. Bill Gates said “Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: opportunity.” Now of course we don’t mean you should literally take up the offer to flip burgers at this time in your life, but we do mean that you should recognize the advantages that are hidden beneath the surface, and grab hold of opportunities that present themselves to you.
Be Grateful
Never underestimate the power of gratitude - it can literally change your life. By being grateful for the small things in life you’ll start to focus your attention on your blessings, instead of comparing your life to others, and only ever recognizing that which you don’t have. The more grateful you are the more good you will attract into your life and the happier you’ll be. Start by writing a daily gratitude list which covers all that you recognize as a blessing, during each day. Perhaps it was the sunshine, or the helpful person at the grocery store - it can be as simple as that!
Rekindle Old Friendships
Life is better with great friends, that’s why it’s important to nurture friendships (new and old), and keep good people close to you. This year make an effort to rekindle those friendships that have gone astray due to the busyness of life. By making your social circle bigger you’ll find that life will become a whole lot more fun - you’ll definitely find yourself laughing more (which is the best medicine, they say).
