Time for Some Life Changes

New Years Resolutions?  How about Life Changes?!

I love January!  The feeling of starting fresh in the new year, having an empty calendar for a minute, realizing that you can be better this year than last, contemplating how you can up the ante of your life by simply making small changes every day.  If you have some resolutions, how is it going?  If you are sticking to them, GOOD FOR YOU!  CONGRATULATIONS! 

If not, what happened?  Many people lose their motivation and give up. 

How about just doing one thing every day or every week towards your goals?  Changing our habits and working consistently towards our goals leads to lasting change.  Instead of rushing through our lives and hoping that we can change in four short weeks, (many people throw in the towel by February), why not focus on your long-term goals towards your future, your life goals that lead to health and happiness in the future because of them?   

What would your life look like if your goals and dreams are reached? 

 What can help us stay focused on our dreams for 2022?  For starters, I would like to suggest some things that I have learned through reading and paying attention to what my mentors are doing.

1.     Make a List

Every day I have a list that I must get done for the day and I usually complete the entire list and it feels so good once I’ve completed it!  If there are items that I haven’t completed, no pressure, I just add it to the top of the next day. We are all human and we try to get as much done as we can; however, negative self-talk and anger towards ourselves for not getting everything done is never effective.

2.     Get Moving

Working out every day helps with our overall mental health as well as our physical health.  Sure, its hard to stay on course but once you get your butt outside and walk or get on the treadmill, tennis, pickle ball, go to the health club or Pilates, you will feel amazing. In an article that I have hanging on my vision board, 11 Ways the Most Successful People Differ from Everyone Else, DesMarals states, “Successful people understand that the discipline of fitness is a potent stress reliever, mind declutterer, and way to subconsciously solve difficult problems.”  I concur.

3.    Eat Right

Well, we all know what we need to eat to be healthy I suppose but again, it’s hard to stick to it!  Choosing salads over burgers and fries, choosing salmon over steaks and choosing blueberries over a cookie or piece of cake; again, small changes over time lead to results.  If I decide to eat the DQ blizzard, I choose a mini and it’s back to the blueberries the next day.  Some people choose to have a cheat day…ok, that could work.   Another trick is taking a bite and that’s it!  Whatever works for you! 

4.    Declutter

Being unorganized and not being able to find anything is so stressful. Over time, making it a point to be organized can help manage and/or even avoid stress and lead to overall happiness.  If you take one room at a time, one drawer at a time, one closet at a time you will feel so good and organized when you are done.  I have been doing this all year and when I open my closet or drawers for something I feel organized, and it helps me feel less stress.  Then remember to keep it up! ;)

5.    Drink Water

 Every day, if you keep water on your desk, in your car or purse, you are more likely to remember to drink it.  I started carrying my favorite pink water bottle I bought from Dick’s Sporting Goods, it keeps my water freezing cold and I keep refilling it throughout the day. I feel great when I know that I have refilled it 3 to 4 times! Some like to carry around a gallon of water or download an app that will alert you with a reminder.

6.    Be Generous

 What does it mean to be generous?  To me, it means giving from the heart, no questions asked.  When I clean things out, I drop everything off at the Salvation Army drop off box and I give to the Food Pantry often.  Today I am giving to the Morris Animal Foundation for the #BettyWhiteChallenge, Happy Birthday Betty!

7.    Take Care of Yourself

 What do you do for yourself every day?  For me it’s working out in the morning, reading and writing something, eating right and taking a hot bath at the end of the day!  Everyone obviously has different ways to achieve this goal, but hopefully it’s one that we can all work on getting better at!

8.     Make Goals

While writing this article, I started reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.  I highly recommend reading this book. It’s the little things you do every day that leads to success. Clear states, “I will share a step-by-step plan for building better habits-not for days or weeks, but for a lifetime.”