One year has ended and another one has begun. However, with this new year comes some uneasiness and trepidation. It is almost always a standing new year’s Resolution for everyone to be a better you in the new year. We all want to be our best selves and there is nothing wrong with setting that as our goal. But being our best selves can also be very tricky. What exactly do you want to change? How can you not set the bar too high? And how can you accomplish these goals? It can all be very daunting to try and be a better you within those 364 days that lay ahead of you. However, with the right tools, you accomplish that new year’s resolution and be your best self! I have comprised a list of 5 simple ways you can be your best self in the new year!
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Make a list of bad things
I don’t care who you are, there had to have been some things that happened last year that you wish you could just forget. I know there are a ton of things from last year that I wish I could permanently forget. Well, I have an even better idea. Write down all the bad things that happened to you that year. Write every negative thought and occurrence. Once you have created your list, burn it. Yes. Literally, put fire to paper and set that list ablaze. How therapeutic it is to watch your troubles burn away.
While it obviously does not literally erase your problems, it gives the illusion of having a clean slate. Using that illusion of having a clean slate can help to put you mentally on a clean path. It would almost feel as though the troubles in the past cannot hold you back to a beautiful future. Now I know this may seem silly and unnecessary but it can be quite reassuring to watch your regrets turn to ash. According to Steven Handel, “This exercise is super easy and simple but sometimes (like a child) that’s how you need to communicate with your mind to get it to listen. Fire itself is a physical act of change and transformation- so why not use this as a symbol to spark change in your own life, by burning your old and unhelpful beliefs?”
Powerful stuff and honestly it is something that I have tried with my friends before. We each wrote down what we wanted to leave with the previous year and then burned it. It was such a cleansing and empowering moment.
Create a goals list
After burning away all of your problems, do something productive: create a goals list. Start a list of all you want to accomplish in this new year but be sure to make it actually doable. This is almost like a resolutions list but a bit more realistic. As you may have noticed in my opening paragraph, I referred to them as goals rather than resolutions. Here’s the deal. I feel like resolutions are just becoming something that people create because everyone else is doing it but never actually stick with. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some that actually stick with it, like the Miss Millennia Magazine Creator Jasmine Watts. She made a new years resolution last year to run twelve 5ks and she did just that. Actually, she wrote an article closely related to this one on how to plan for your new year and how to dominate at goal setting/achieving.Click here to go check it out.
Now aside from her, others that set out to make it just a new years resolution instead a goal tend to never stick with it. That’s why if you make a goals list, you are almost more likely to carry through with it. So make a list of what you want to accomplish in the new year. If you’re up to it, maybe split it up by months of what can be accomplished that way you are able to tick off goals easier because it’s in smaller sections versus the whole year. This way it will seem more doable and less daunting.
Hell, you should even try categorizing it! The image above is actually one taken by me within my room. I am HUGE on making goals lists or to-do lists. I literally cannot sleep at night unless it is written somewhere where I have the chance to strike through it at some point. But what I like o do is categorize my goals. I take the massive sticky note pads and label each one as a category. In the picture, you see I have one for my personal life. Next, to it, I had one for my career and next to that one my educational future. Each major category in my life got its own goals page. By splitting them up I felt that each area would get the attention it deserves. Plus, it looked better than just one huge long goals list. Now of course maybe your goals will be more general to span your whole life, but categorizing it is just a suggestion. Either way, you do it, setting up a goals list can be just one of the best ways of becoming your best self in the new year.
Practice meditation
You should take into consideration your best self holistically in the new year. And what could be better than meditation? Meditation is so good for the mind and the body. There is nothing better than doing a spiritual check up with your body to have a holistic preparedness for the new year. Meditation can help you to step out of reality for a moment and become in contact with your inner energy. It can give you better focus, less anxiety, more creativity and compassion, better memory and less stress (Health and Fitness). Doesn’t that sound like traits you want to take with you into the new year? Doing this effectively can even lead to better relationships and a better mental health.
If you begin to practice this now, you are set for practicing it effectively in the new year. I remember one of my graduate school professors would start the class off with 10 minutes of meditation. While at first thought I found this to be a bit strange, I will say it helped to center my thoughts and prepare for the class. That little 10-minute window every class helped me to be more present and remain in the moment. I can only imagine what it would do for you if you took a little time each day to ground yourself with meditation. And what is so nice is there are so many YouTube videos out there that can help you meditate and find your zen. You can find guided classes for you to mirror or just zen and peaceful music to lose yourself in. In fact, here is a great meditation YouTube video that provides soothing sounds to help you find your center.
Connect with a Psychic
What is cooler than being able to speak with an actual psychic. Someone that will be able to tell you about what you can expect in your future. That would be incredibly helpful going into the new year right? Well, I have just the people for you. Keen. Keen is the oldest and largest community of trusted advisors across a range of disciplines, including Love & Relationships, Psychic, Spiritual, Empathic, and Tarot. They have facilitated over 35MM conversations within the community since founded in 1999. What is amazing is that they are available right at your fingertips. You can access them online and either call an advisor or chat with them online. I am personally a fan of the chat feature because I am often in a place when not alone. So with the chat feature, I am able to access their services literally anywhere and at any time. But that’s not all…
Keen has been able to provide such support for people that they are able to deal with their life challenges. Why would you not want that kind of assistance if you’re looking to make the new year a great one? When I went on and tried Keen, I utilized the psychic reading advisors. As I mentioned before, the chat feature was best for me. I thought that maybe it would diminish the experience a bit but it was awesome! The advisor was able to respond super-fast and it would even show me when she was reading over my response. It felt like we were in the same room at all times. My advisor was able to tell me about my future and what I should expect for the new year. This was perfect as I have been a bit nervous about what to expect in the new year but she made me hopeful. Still a bit skeptical about the whole ordeal? Well, check out this video on what you should expect before getting a psychic reading!
Begin a journal
You know how when you go to bed, you begin to filter back through your day and everything that happened, good and bad? Why not start a journal to keep those daily events? This could be so beneficial because you can revisit the day if you need to. Say you’re having a crappy day. Go back and read about a day that was awesome or how you were able to turn your day back around. Or maybe you choose not journal daily. Well just having a place to write down your free-flowing thoughts for small moments of the day can be so beneficial. Journaling can connect you back to accomplishing your goals list we discussed earlier. Reflecting can help you to focus on your life vision and how your goals play into that.
Actually, writing it down can not only help you when you need to think back to a situation but can also be quite therapeutic. Most therapist always suggests their client start keeping a journal because the process of writing can be very beneficial. In fact, “journaling daily is the most potent and powerful keystone habit you can acquire. If done correctly, you will show up better in every area of your life” (Medium). So there is honestly no wrong that can be done with journaling. I have my own journal, where I don’t write in it necessarily everyday but use to periodically write down my thoughts. Having those times to reflect on my day and life has helped me to see the bigger picture and things I want to accomplish. I can only imagine how better off I would be if I journaled daily but for now, this works for me and has helped.
There is actually this really great journal called The Productivity Planner which helps you prioritize and accomplish important tasks. Overall it works to help minimize distractions and procrastination. Honestly, I feel like this is a great in-betweener if you are not all in on a goals list and/or journaling. In a way, it tackles both and gives you the same result. If you are interested, check it out here and get started tackling your life.
So with these 5 tools, you can really be your best self in the new year. Taking the time to really plan out your success and coming into the year holistically can really make all the difference. Just have patience, consistency, and faith in your ability to be a better you. Now go forth and kick this new year’s ass!
Do you have a special technique or tool that has helped you be your best self in the new year? Be sure to share below in the comments section!
Resources:
Keen
Health and Fitness
The Emotion Machine
Guided Meditation- Blissful Deep Relaxation
Medium
The Productivity Planner
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