As the years ends and a new one begins we all subconsciously or very consciously start setting our new years resolutions to set goals, start new hobbies, reset failed resolutions from last year, basically starting over and fresh #NewYearNewMe. The most popular New Years resolutions are losing weight, working out, eating better, quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and basically anything to improve and better yourself. In my personal experience I have learned that in order to keep resolutions throughout the whole year you have to start over each day, eliminating bad habits and starting new ones in order to reach a goal, and understand that in order to reach your goal you have to know first what you need in order to get there. I have broken up twenty 'habits' you can apply not so much for the coming year but for everyday of the year.
1. Exercise to get discipline
Exercising is probably one of the top things people start or want to apply in the new year, but if you don't set your goals right from the start it becomes more likely that it will be a failed attempt (harsh but fact). To be able to make exercise part of your everyday life you must first understand that discipline has THE MOST to do with this. You will not always be motivated in getting up everyday and getting a workout done so you must first learn to be disciplined. I started working out because I wanted to be healthier and feel good. My first goal was losing weight and so I had to workout. After losing a few pounds, I reset my goals to shaping my body to not feel so self-conscious of how it looked. I changed my routine in order to get there, then a few months ago I wanted my endurance to improve so I trained for a half-marathon. Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm constantly reseting my goals hence, changing my workout routines daily, weekly, and monthly. By doing so you don't get tired since it seems that you are doing new things everyday. This makes me more disciplined and looking back at the year I can see that I worked by body one way or another, making it part of my everyday life. Getting exercise makes you a disciplined person, making you more confident. If you were able to challenge your mind and body, you can discipline yourself and doing other things (e.g. writing this blog lol).
2. Write your tasks for the next day
This is a very simple habit that can help you so much throughout the year. I started doing this when I started working out. I would write in detail the types of exercises I was going to do the next day which made it easier for me to get them done. Once I started writing down this I soon started writing other tasks as well. Writing your tasks a day before makes you already one step ahead on your tasks (writing your tasks is already a task set and done). So waking up already knowing step-by-step what you will be doing makes you way more productive and more likely on getting most of the things done.
3. Write your progress to see how far you have come
This can be done differently depending on what is your goal. For example, writing down everyday how much you weigh can be a bit discouraging but if you continue to do it for months it's great to see your progress long-term instead of seeing that you haven't lost any weight in the past week. Taking progress pictures is also a great way in documenting your progress, I really haven't gained or lost any weight this year but by body has changed a lot and I can see this with pictures and not with the scale. I also like to put on a wall on one side what I need to "Do" and what is "Done". With post-its I write every task on the "Do" side and when I have finished I send it out to the "Done" side. Seeing all the things slowly migrating from one side to the other gives me get a visual on all the things I'm doing and getting done. This helps me motivate me in doing more and more.
4. Go to sleep early
Sleeping is very important since your energy for the next day plays a big part in order to get things done. I recommend having set time of when you will put your phone away, turn off the lights, and go to bed. For me it's 10pm, even if it might take me longer to sleep I'm fine with having my thoughts slowly leading me to sleep instead of watching Netflix or being on my phone. If you wake up at 6am it will already give you eight hours of sleep which is great for your health and do wonders for the following day.
5. Don’t charge your phone on the side of your bed
This also has to do with a lot with the last point. In order to have your mind well rested you need to eliminate distractions which for most of us is our phone. I highly recommend that in order to go to bed and wake up nice and fresh is to not charge your phone next to your bed. I usually charge it in my bathroom or far away from my arms reach. I also turn it off or put 'do not disturb' which makes it makes no sounds or vibrations while I sleep. This is a very important time for your body to rest and hearing some messages coming through will make this moment very unpleasant. If your alarm is on your phone I suggest on getting a normal alarm clock.
6. Make a morning ritual
The most important thing when waking up for me is drinking my coffee. It's not so much the coffee itself but my waking up time and gathering my thoughts while sipping on my coffee. If you aren't a coffee drinker you can exchange this with something else like journaling, meditating, or listening to your favorite podcast. Don't get on your phone right away, that can wait, pick a morning ritual and stick to it (you don't necessarily have to stick to just one forever, you can be changing it, just make sure it's peaceful and something you enjoy).
7. Walk
Walking is something so simple yet so rewarding you can apply everyday. It is now so easy to track your steps on your phone making it easy to set a goal for that. You can start slow with 5,000 steps a day and slowly start increasing it by 1,000 a month. It's a good exercise and it's a very nice way to unwind after a long day.
8. Eat your veggies
If one of your new years resolution is to lose weight you must first try to see what you have to do or stop doing in order to do so. What you eat has a lot to do with this. So you can decide on whether to eating less desserts, eating more veggies, stop drinking soft drinks, start drinking more tea, etc. Applying one or a few of these makes it a lot less overwhelming. Since I am hungry literally every minute of the day I learned to eat more vegetables which are low in calories and high in volume helping me feel full throughout the day. Choose one healthy habit to apply everyday and you will see how this will help you when losing weight and maintaining your weight long-term instead of focusing on a strict diet.
9. Write your thoughts
Writing for me has been very helpful to put my thoughts together and on paper. It helps me structure what I'm thinking and help me see what dominates my mind most of the day. For example, if I am writing sad thoughts I can notice that something is not allowing me to be happy. Seeing it on paper makes me better at analyzing it. This helps me visualize my thoughts and change them accordingly. It has been my own kind of therapy that I have adjusted to and has helped me go through things that I wouldn't have realize otherwise.
10. Reward yourself
Since we were in kindergarten we have been used to getting our gold-star on our forehead when we have done something right. Our parents, as-well, have applied this by giving us all types of rewards when we behave or do as we've been told. You can also reward yourself when accomplishing certain goals you have challenged yourself. For example, I reward myself in going out with friends on weekends only when I have done my weekly tasks. When I hit a certain goal weight I reward myself with new workout clothes. When I've been eating clean the whole week I reward myself with some craving I've been having. So set goals and set rewards to yourself this will help you feel good and proud like you would proudly wear that golden star.
11. Accept the habit you most hate about yourself
To get rid of a bad habit you first need to stop avoiding it and instead, stare it straight in the face. For me this was smoking, I hated being a 'smoker' and yet I'd still pop out a cigarette and light it daily. I hated this habit but it was already synced in my routine, was an accessory to my social life, and part of my day. I would ask myself what is the thing I hated most about myself and the answer would always be 'that I smoke'. Asking myself this question, even though harsh, helped me realize and accept this habit that I really didn't like. Ask yourself this question and when answered I'll take you to the next point.
12. Make a challenge
So since drinking less, quitting smoking, spending less time watching TV, stop bitting your fingernails, etc. are some of the top things people choose as a new years resolution and are some of the worst habits we hate having, you can make up challenges to overcome them. We try to be very hard on ourselves and just quit them cold-turkey without ever talking to ourselves about them. We instead need to question ourselves why we don't want to have them. Once I realized I hated being a smoker I started smoking less, I convinced my body it didn't need it the same way I didn't need certain processed foods I enjoyed. When it came to smoking I didn't limit myself to not ever smoking again but telling myself 'you don't need this' or asking myself 'why do you need this?'. These questions would always make me think twice instead of just lighting one up. Then when I would smoke I would ask myself if it made me feel any better, 'no' was always my response. I slowly started to realize it didn't make me feel better so why would I need something that made me feel worse. When I would stop smoking for longer periods of time I would also highlight how well this made me feel. It was a challenge that took me months to fight with, but now writing this I'm happy. I overcame it. That's what challenges are all about.
13. Save money for experiences
Saving money for long periods of time then using it for experiences such as travel is so rewarding. Traveling is what I am all about so you can clearly see how important it is for me hence saving money is my priority. I always start slow by placing my money into my saving instead of spending it on things I don't really need. How I save is saving 20% of my salary (salary per month x .20 = savings for travel). It's that simple. You can start with 5% then 10% and so on. I feel 20% is very doable and in a couple of months you can have a nice trip to somewhere new.
14. Read books on things that you like
So, it's very easy to say 'read more' or 'start reading' but if you start on a book on a subject you don't actually like it will be very easy to stop reading and feel discouraged that you weren't able to keep this habit. Ask yourself 'what are you interested in?' and 'what is it that you want to know more about?' This can help guide you on reading books that you will actually like and have this as a long-term habit.
15. Let go of people
We get so attached to people just because we have known them for so long, because we have gone through a lot together, or because we are just used to them. Sometimes these reasons aren't good enough for having them be part of your life. There are times when you outgrow certain people and you have to realize it's better for both of you to just let go. It's very hard to do this especially when there isn't a specific reason in letting go. What is easy however, is to know which ones are worth keeping and which ones aren't. If someone comes to mind just by reading these few sentences it is that person you have to consider in letting go. You don't necessarily have to shut them off but just slowly stop prioritizing them and start prioritizing the people that actually make you feel good. Don't feel like the bad person, in these situations you have to be selfish. You have to let go of vicious cycles and unhealthy relationships in order to be what is better for you and others.
16. Don't be hard on yourself
Resolutions, challenges, and new habits can be overwhelming. You need to understand that changing your life drastically won't happen in a day but takes time (Rome wasn't built in a day, but they were putting bricks every hour). Don't worry if you are not where you want to be, great things take time. Focusing on your habits is more important than worrying about your outcomes. Take the time to look back at all the things you have done and allow yourself to be proud. Laying a brick every hour might not sound that great but put all those bricks together and you have your empire.
17. Be present
With the last point said, be present. Live for today and be here in the now. There are little things that can help you be more present like getting away from the digital world (e.g. turning off your phone), meditate, going for a run, laying down without any distractions, journaling, etc. For me the best way to be present is being in peace with myself by allowing myself to accept and acknowledge who I am now and not who I was or who I want to be.
18. Reach out to people that you admire
This is a random habit but a very nice one. Today, we are more connected than we've ever been. It is so easy nowadays to see what everyone is up to. In the end, we are all trying to better ourselves, to overcome challenges, and to be successful in our own unique ways. With this said, we all need constant motivation, support, and good wishes from our peers. What better way than reaching out to each other and leaving a few words of encouragement or just by placing some of these: 👏👍🙌🎉😍💯🔥. You can make a huge difference in someones day by being there in the most simple way possible. This can be a habit that can easily be applied everyday and can help someone a whole lot.
19. Get out of your comfort zone
I was doubtful when a friend invited me to go on a hike on the weekend a few years ago then he asked me, "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" It was his way of convincing me which of course, he did. Ever since this question has stuck with me when I am doubtful in doing something new instead of sticking with my comfort zone. I've come to the point that being comfortable makes me uncomfortable because it means I'm not doing anything new. Challenge yourself on getting away from comfort zones, this doesn't mean dropping your things and heading to the closest bungee jump. Start small, ordering a different coffee at the same coffee place you go everyday, trying new foods, start a new hobby, go to a city you've never gone before, etc. A comfort zone is limited the rest of the world isn't.
20. Be Consistent
In order to be successful in anything that you put out for yourself you have to be disciplined and in order to be disciplined you need to be consistent. It's about trying your best EVERYDAY. Starting over. Falling down and getting back up. Fail and try again. Accomplish something and rewarding yourself. Finishing a book and picking up a new one. Run a kilometer then run another one. It's about being constant, keep moving forward, and keep growing.
Life won't present you challenges you can't overcome, life places you those challenges because it knows that you can. Once you overcome them, life will have done you a favor, it made you stronger. I hope you live a life full of challenges that you will overcome and make you grow stronger. Happy New Year!
Note: Now with a little bit of inspo write your new resolutions down, you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down on a regular basis.
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