New Year, Strong Start

Whew! We’re through another holiday season, with its bustle of festivities, obligations and stresses. A new year is your time to start fresh, pursue new opportunities for learning, or to let go of things that don’t serve you. Starting the year off strong might also include looking back and contemplating how far you’ve come.

However you approach the start of 2023, take this opportunity to refresh, get focused, and back into the swing of things. Here are a few ideas to kick start you.

Change your view. Happy people generally don’t rely on outside sources and influences to determine their self-worth and sense of well-being. The happiest people I know look for internal sources of positivity and good energy, rather than waiting for ‘life’ to provide them with happiness.

Stop comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to look at someone else’s life and feel like they have it made or wish you had what they do. It’s almost impossible to find true happiness based on comparisons. So if you find yourself thinking these thoughts, remember not to compare your life to anyone else’s life.

Slow down to speed up. For 30 minutes each day, I think, plan, and visualize. By slowing down, I have become aware of my biggest opportunities, smartest activities, and greatest tactics for growth. With this insight and clarity, I can take actions to drive excellent results. To really commit to making 2023 your breakthrough year and know you’ll have to slow down for a bit each day to accomplish this. Then you’ll be perfectly prepared to speed up and win.

Narrow efforts. Doing too many things at once scatters your focus and can make you feel as if you’re just bouncing around, unsure of the best direction. Start with one major undertaking. Then, break that goal or project down into small, bite-size steps. Smaller steps ensure a strong start and are likely to result in a strong finish.

Build new habits. The initial wave of enthusiasm for new ventures sometimes dwindles when your first efforts don’t produce immediate and amazing results. So, focus on the process itself to build new habits. Practicing a skill takes time. For instance, if you want to become more fit, concentrate on being able to jog a little bit farther every time you go for a run, rather than focusing on being able to run five miles within a week. Persistence pays off.

Organize your time. Keep a schedule to make the goals and habits you just identified happen. Learn to say no to demands on your day that don’t align with these goals. You’ll be less frantic and have more time to do the things that energize you.

Say goodbye to negative people. If you spend time with positive people, you are more likely to be positive. And vice versa. So, do you best to distance yourself from the naysayers in your life – those individuals whose negativity is more the norm rather than the exception. It might be hard, but remember – you have just as much responsibility to take care of yourself as you do anyone else.

How you react to stress is key. It’s easy to get caught in a downward spiral of stress when a problem arises. I ask myself, “Will this be causing me this much stress a month from now?” This always help calm me down and provide some perspective. We’ll never be able to completely avoid the stress the world throws at us, but how we cope with it daily plays a huge role in shaping our overall happiness.

Move and eat healthy. Good nutrition and physical activity can make a big difference in your mental outlook and physical stress. Better yet, discover activities you can do with a partner or friend – such as hiking, walking or taking cooking classes – to reinforce each other’s positive intentions.

The New Year gives us an opportunity to become new ourselves by wiping the old year’s slate clean. Starting the year off strong is the time to refresh, get focused, and back into the swing of things. Remember to focus on the process itself, and always try to be good to yourself. Just sayin’.

Published: New Mexico Apartment News Magazine – Jan/Feb 2023