We are almost at the end of the third month in the new year – for some it came like a thief in the night. I personally was not fully prepared I had a few unfinished business on my “things to do” list. However, I am slowly adjusting and have since fallen in line with the schedule and have started working on them.
I hope you have now embraced the New Year. For some persons the beginning of this new year was a relief, they were so happy to see the back of the previous year. Although you might not be so sure what this year will bring you have to be confident that it will be a better year amidst the confusion and chaos.
Relax Awhile
I want you to relax take a moment to reflect, for most of us we rarely make the time to step back and relax.
I want you to take a moment to:
- reflect on the lessons life taught you last year
- analyse your failures – find out where you went wrong or simply find another way to do it
- make plans to change how you go about life. Sometimes your daily habits and the rhythm of life can take you captive, and you often end up doing what you’ve always done, and each year starts to look very much like the last.
New Year Resolutions
Many of us have made new year resolutions again (including myself) to go on a diet, exercise more, further our education, give up alcohol, stop smoking, find a new job, start a business, find a way to earn some extra money, get married and the list goes on and on and on.
I want to let you know, now… today is the real deal, this is not a dress rehearsal so choose wisely. Each of us has the ability to choose how we show up to life every day we can either throw a pity party and wallow in self -pity or we roll up our sleeves and hit the ground running.
The cold reality is – not many people care if you fail or succeed – it sounds harsh but it is the reality. You need to take control of your future by first acknowledging that there is a supreme being He rules the universe He controls your destiny and He is Lord of all.
Secondly you have to understand that life will not always work the way you plan it so be alert and be prepared at all times to grasp opportunity when they come your way.
As we go continue into the new year I know we will face challenges, but I have faith that things will get better. Faith is substance of things hope for – you are sure it will happen and the evidence of things not seen, you don’t see it yet but you are confident it is going to happen. if your mind can conceive it then you can achieve it.
One of our National Hero the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey said “If you have no confidence in yourself then you are twice defeated in the race of life. Every rich and famous person took risk and they will tell you about the setbacks and the obstacles they had to overcome.
You may not be able to effect changes to the broader economy or government policy, but you can take responsibility for your attitude and how you can make a difference in your life and that of your family. We are but a pilgrim and a traveller, none of us came here to stay for some it is a very short stay for others it is a bit longer. Embrace life it is a gift. Let us vow to make this year our best year ever.
Five Ways to Make This Year Better than the Last
1. Be Thankful
It is a fact that people who are grateful are generally happy people. Make a conscious decision to be thankful start every day with gratitude and thanks for the gift of life, it is said that once there is life there is hope. Find a way to make a valuable contribution to life by breathing positivity in the atmosphere and lending a helping hand to the less fortunate among us.
2. Go For It
Look back at last year celebrate your successes identify your failures and design a plan to move forward. Make a note of what you want success to be for you this year, I am sure you know that success means different things to different people. For me I want to put plans in place so that I can go on a world cruise with my family. Whatever your plans are write it down and start working on it, set achievable and realistic goals. Envision what you want the year to look like, literally. List it month by month and also write how you plan to achieve it. If you started this year without knowing what you want to achieve take a moment now to design a work plan.
3. Values and Attitudes
Revisit your morals and your values and reconnect with the foundation principles that were instilled in you by your parents. Ignite those foundational principles and let them guide your decisions around how you live and work. Again I want to quote the late Marcus Garvey “God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.
4. Drop off excess Baggage
Some of you are walking around with extra baggage every day, for this year challenge yourself to stop wasting time on the small, insignificant, time-sucking, going-nowhere things. Make a list of the things you do that waste time every day and list what you’re going to do to change it.
5. Ignore Dream Slayers
For this year let nothing or no one kill your dreams. Sometimes it is best to keep your dreams close to your chest until it can be weaned and survive on its own. People will always discourage when they can’t see your vision. If I had followed people I would not have an online business. There will always be sceptic, and there are risks in everything you do.
Go Forward now and make this year your best year ever.