At the end of
each year, I set aside a little time to reflect on the past year, clear mental
and physical clutter, and set some juicy new goals for the year ahead. I love
the beginning of a new year because it offers the chance to start fresh and
give some new energy to the parts in your life that need a little love and
attention. 5 tips to kickstart your new year coming right up…
Reflect and celebrate.
Take time to
mentally review the past year. What do you wish you had done differently that
you can change next year? Maybe you spend way more time on your phone than
you’d like (my hand is up!), or got sucked into the endless news cycle, or
didn’t spend as much time as you’d like on the things you value most. It’s
human nature to want to focus on setbacks, disappointments, and challenges, so
after I’ve grieved any losses, and clarified where I’d like to improve, I make
sure to write down what I’m really proud of. Even during the most challenging
years, we can all find bright spots if we look for them.
Celebrate your
own personal triumphs. What are you proud of? What did you accomplish in spite
of the many challenges of the past year? Jot down all of your large and small
victories and celebrate your accomplishments of all sizes.
Declutter
your life.
There’s never a
bad time to declutter, but the new year is a great motivator to get rid of the
stuff that is no longer serving you. There are various things you can declutter
from your life for a fresh start to the new year.
Decluttering
your physical space can help you enter the new year with renewed focus,
clarity, and awareness. It can encourage creativity and critical thinking,
making it easier to tackle new projects, pick up new hobbies or revisit old
ones.
And it can even
improve your physical health, eliminating hiding places for dust and dirt that
can exacerbate allergies and other conditions.
While your
physical space might be the most obvious one to declutter, it isn’t the only
thing you should consider.
Decluttering
your digital space can also work wonders on your mental well-being.
Reflect on
the progress you made over the last year – and the goals you didn’t achieve.
Looking back on
all you’ve accomplished – and what you didn’t – is a great first step to take
when giving yourself a fresh start.
While it may
not be pleasant, it’s a good idea to recognize where things didn’t go the way
you wanted. You shouldn’t approach this with a mindset of failure; instead,
it’s important to focus on the opportunity for growth.
Not only will
this give you some inspiration for what you might want to focus on in the year
ahead, but understanding how you fell short can help you make the adjustments
needed to thrive in the new year.
It’s even more
important to celebrate your wins – little or big. What good things happened
during the year? Did you move states, buy a house, or change your job? Start a
new relationship – or step away from one that was toxic?
Material or
not, these wins are worth recognizing and reflecting upon. It’s a great way to
give yourself some positive momentum as you move into the new year, ready to
tackle a whole new set of goals, changes, and challenges.
Pick a theme
to focus your energy on in the new year.
Try picking a
theme or a word to focus your energy on for the new year that resonates with
your personal and specific goals, values, and priorities. Visualize what you
want to create, and hone in on how you want to feel. Popular options include:
simplicity, abundance, wellness, creativity, connection, and ease. This word or
theme can serve as a guide as you make decisions in the new year. When faced
with a decision you can ask yourself, “Does this contribute to my feeling of
(your word or theme here)?”
Set some specific
goals for the year ahead.
While
vulnerable and scary, when I write down and share my big goals, I feel much
more committed to making them happen. If goal setting for an entire year feels
daunting, try setting smaller goals for the first quarter of the year. Three
months is a good chunk of time to set some brave goals, and to make a lot of
progress towards achieving them. Ask yourself what you want to be different in
your life by the end of 2025. What do you want to do or accomplish? How do you
want to feel? What do you want to contribute? What specific and measurable
things will you need to do to get there?
Identify
meaningful steps you can take to achieve those goals.
If you’re
committed to making your dreams and goals become a reality, it is imperative
that you break down each big goal into tiny micro steps, and schedule each step
in your actual calendar. You can make sure that your calendar supports your
priorities and goals by scheduling not only professional commitments, but also
social plans, time off, self care, spiritual practices, and exercise. Sometimes
I block out an hour on my calendar that literally says “Focus Time.” When it
comes to goals and habits, it’s also helpful to commit to a minimum baseline
you will commit to – even on your hardest day. This is how I started working
out everyday after years of failing.
Give
yourself some grace.
Changing old
habits and routines is easier said than done.
While the new
year might be a great motivator for making big changes, shifting your outlook,
and setting new goals, it’s important to recognize that it’s hard to change
everything overnight.
Keep this in
mind as you approach the new year and give yourself grace if you slip up or
stumble. Resist taking an all-or-nothing approach as you work towards your
goals.
Give yourself a
break and let it be ok to have an off day or two. Recognize what happened and
refocus on what you want to achieve to help yourself get back on track.
Continue taking
small steps toward your goals and don’t give up. Failure only occurs when you decide
to stop trying. Every day can be a fresh start and a chance for a new
beginning.
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