11 INSPIRING WAYS TO START YOUR NEW YEAR!!!

Hey lovelies,

What a year it has been!

The countdown to 2015 is in full effect, with just a day left until the ball drops. I hope you've enjoyed the festivities so far? If you haven’t, it’s not too late to do so.

First off, I would like to say 2014 has been quite an eventful, interesting yet, challenging year for me in more ways than one but through it all, God has been faithful. As the year draws to a close, a lot of thoughts would probably be centered on resolutions, goals, projects, more achievements and all sorts, which are good but not necessarily the most important things about the New Year.

How you start your year determines the experiences you get out of it, the opportunities you create for yourself, the lessons you learn, the effectiveness of your resolutions, how successful you'll be in achieving your goals and the overall outcome you get at the end of the year. So if you haven’t thought or you're still thinking of ways to start your year, here are a few suggestions that might be of help.

• SAY THANK YOU. Starting a year with thanks is often the best thing to do. It is one of the most powerful ways to increase your well being as it is linked to increased levels of happiness and life satisfaction, which is more likely to help make progress towards achieving important goals. So while we are busy making plans for the New Year, let’s not forget to look around, count our blessings and give thanks for them.

• START LIGHT. Carrying issues, burdens or baggage from the previous year to the next never starts you off on the right foot; rather, it sets you on a very low pace to attaining your maximum potential. With the arrival of a new year comes the opportunity to move on, to let go of the past, the weights, the burdens, the guilt, the grudges, the hatred, the anger, the failures and all sorts, living you feeling light and free from all obstacles to achieving your goals. This would increase your productivity, your positive experiences and lead to a better outcome in the end.

• CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE. Sticking to a particular routine often always produces the same results. There’s a reason for wanting a change or a better outcome every New Year which is why people make resolutions and set new goals but one thing is sure; regardless of how great your resolutions may be, you are most likely to get the same old results if you stick to your normal old routine. You can start off the year by taking a step outside your comfort zone, trying new things, joining a new community, reaching out to new people, and by so doing, you would escape your default ways of doing things and give yourself the chance of being someone new.

• LIVE HEALTHIER. Living a healthy life is associated with an increase in the overall quality of life. You can choose to start off your year by dropping bad habits, eating right, getting the right amount of rest and keeping fit. Doing right for your body definitely pays off for your mind as well because it decreases stress, improves mood, helps think better, boosts energy, productivity and improves your chances of a longer life.

• EVALUATE YOUR COMMUNITY. The people you surround yourself with, have profound effects on the decisions you make and are crucial to your own behavior. So, start off your year by taking a look at your social connections and asking yourself how you can spend more time with those whose values and lifestyle compliments yours. Get rid of things and people who add no value to your life and that way, you can remain focused on the more important things and aspects of your life which will eventually lead to achieving your goals.

• SPEND MORE TIME WITH LOVED ONES. With the way life can sometimes get really busy, it can feel next to impossible to crave out time for those we care about. In this New Year, you can schedule a family time. Maybe it’s playing games with the kids twice a week, going to get ice-cream, coming together over meals, praying together daily and many other activities. You can also try to make out time for friends and other relatives maybe over the weekends or holidays just to make sure you are working to live rather than living to work.

• INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Become aware of that which leaves your mouth by being very conscious of everything you say for at least an hour each day and for the entire month. When you listen carefully to your language, you will know whether or not you are moving with momentum and purpose towards your vision and as you develop a keen awareness of your communication, you become empowered to purposefully choose the language that inspires and empowers you to realize your vision. If you find yourself speaking negatively about limitations or problems then give yourself the chance to look for solutions or possibilities but let your thoughts and words be more positive as they are the keys to achieving consistent and outstanding results.

• EXPLORE MORE. Exploring new places and things works wonders on your perception of life and your understanding of your inner self. It enables you to experience the sweet feeling of freedom and helps you learn new things. You can start off by finding somewhere to go which would serve as a great opportunity to gain more than what any book, magazine or course could ever teach you and who knows!, there might also be some self discoveries in the process.

• START A BUDGET. Although budgeting is indeed more work, it pays off with quite a lot of life enhancing benefits and could also be a good way to start off the year. This particular aspect applies mostly to those who have loads of financial goals this year as it gives you control over your money, keeps you focused on your money goals, helps you organize your spending and savings, provides you with an early warning for potential problems and enables you to produce extra money.

• INVEST. Often times, we think of where to spend our money and time, we think of big businesses, projects, houses and other worthwhile assets to invest in, forgetting the most valuable assets ‘Ourselves’.  This year, you can decide to make more investments in yourself by developing new skills, building relationships and volunteering in your community. A better community life benefits everyone and you might also meet people who can be added to your career network. Anymore, your life and finances are increasingly connected. Improving your life can help you improve your finances and vice versa. Plus, making it a point to develop yourself as a person can impact your career prospects as well as influence your satisfaction with life.

• PRACTICE THE ONE-A-DAY PRINCIPLE. You can’t delight everybody all the time but you can do something extraordinary for someone each day. Find a customer, colleague, relative or a friend each day and do something remarkable. Using the one-a-day principle will make your life remarkable.

How would you like to start your new year? Please feel free to share or add some more suggestions.