The New Year always brings a sense of hope and promise for the upcoming year – it helps to re-set our mental attitude, fills our hearts with expectations, and gives us a greater hope for the future. But it can also be a stressful time filled with the expectation to change that may be followed by disappointments when they’re not fulfilled. Be encouraged to know we’re given a new chance everyday – a new slate for our health, attitude, relationships, and goals. We must foster a New Year’s attitude everyday not just at the beginning of the calendar year. Everyday is an opportunity to start over, begin anew, and make necessary changes. We’re given 365 chances to make a change in our lives, not just for the first few days of the year. Instead of a New Year let’s make it a New Day, everyday.
I wish you and your loved ones all the best of 2015!
©2015 Susie Lee
Creativity has usually come to me in times of relaxation, collaboration with others, and a change in my routine. Being creative exercises our mental health but it’s, also, beneficial to our overall well being. As our creative juices begin to flow, it helps us to think outside the box and see endless possibilities beyond ourselves. The result of our creativity will ignite our passion, boost our self-confidence, and increase our energy. Here are 40 simple ways to stay creative at work, home, and play.
©2014 Susie Lee
Poster credit: Layerform
“That which matters the least should never give way to that which matters the most.”
‘That which matters the most’ looks different for each person. How we choose to spend our time, days, resources and energy usually reflects what we value in life. That’s why goal setting is personal. If you’re one of those people who have difficulty setting goals, it maybe helpful to ask these questions: What are my core values? What is important to me? What do I want out of life? Where do I want to be in 10 years? How can I contribute to the world? For some people, this process of self-reflection and self-realization is life changing and liberating and for others, it’s a challenging and frustrating endeavor that paralyzes them.
Whether your goals are to contribute to the greater good of mankind or lose a few pounds, one thing to keep in mind when setting goals is to set S.M.A.R.T goals. There’s a saying ‘If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.’ That’s why it’s important to set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely goals.
For example:
I will get in shape this year. NOT SMART.
I am running 2 times a week for 45 minutes and hiking 2 times a month for 3 hours. SMART.
Another important aspect in setting SMART goals is to write them in the present tense, this triggers your brain to subconsciously get you moving towards your goals. Write them on a poster board and hang it up where you’ll see it as a daily reminder. Placing pictures of your goals will, also help you visualize them better.
If you really want to keep goal setting simple then pick one word to live by this year. For example, my word for 2012 is strength. It’s easy to remember yet powerful because it will guide me in my actions and decisions. And at the end of the year I can ask myself, ‘Did I have strength this year?’
The purpose of goals is to enrich our lives, not a burden of rules to keep. It stretches us to our fullest potential, not serve as a reminder of our limitations. It builds character, strength, and skill that cannot be stolen or destroyed. This confidence creates beauty within which then reflects itself in the work of our hands. Continue to dream and pursue!
Conversations welcome! I would love to hear any comments, goals or questions you may have from this article.
As I set long-term goals for the New Year, I do not want to underestimate the impact of small decisions I make everyday. These positive or negative choices will either contribute to or hinder my goals. The daily choices I make will eventually form into a habit, which will then turn into a lifestyle. I want my goals to be more than just for this year but for the many years to come. To have an effective long-term goal, it must be coupled with positive short-term decisions I make in the moment. I want to share an excerpt from this book I read over the holidays that describes it so well:
“We also need to make better choices in the moment. As Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Schelling described, we behave as if we’re two different people: one who wants a lean body and another who wants dessert.
Even small short-term differences in how we allocate our time can result in better days. An extra half-hour of sleep or an extra hour of social time can be the difference between a great day and a mediocre day. Changing our daily routine a little can have a big impact on the quality of each day.
On a given day, we might sit around and respond to problems at work instead of initiating. We might passively watch TV rather than getting out and exercising. Or maybe we spend on something now that creates stress in a few weeks or months. We might even think about doing something to give back to our community, but decide we’ll do it later and never get around to it. Days like this start a vicious cycle.
Just one day when we eat poorly, skip exercising, are stressed at work, don’t get enough social time, and worry about money leads to a host of negative outcomes. On days like this, we have less energy, we look worse, we don’t treat people well, and we get a lousy night’s sleep. As a result, we miss the reset provided by a sound night of sleep, and the cycle continues.
When we break this downward spiral and get a good night’s sleep, we’re off to the right start. This allows us to wake up refreshed and increases our chances of exercising in the morning. If we can use our strengths at our job every day, this connects our daily activities to a much higher purpose and allows us to get more done. Between work and time with our friends and family, if we can get in six hours of social time, chances are, we’ll have 10 times as many good moments as stressful ones.
One of the best ways to create more good days is by setting positive defaults. Any time you help your short-term self work with your long-term self, you have an opportunity. You can intentionally choose to spend more time with the people you enjoy most and engage your strengths as much as possible. You can structure your finances to minimize the worry caused by debt. You can make exercise a standard part of your routine. You can make healthier decisions in the supermarket so you don’t have to trust yourself when you have a craving a few days later. And you can make commitments to community, religious, or volunteer groups, knowing that you will follow through once you’ve signed up in advance. Through these daily choices, you create stronger friendships, families, workplaces, and communities.”
-Well Being The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath & Jim Harter (pgs. 110-112)
The New Year traditionally has been associated with new beginnings or bringing about change. Resolutions generally revolve around relationships, health, career or finances. It’s a time to start over or for second chances by setting personal goals for the New Year. Beginnings bring hope, clarity, possibilities and newfound energy. It seems easier to set goals in the beginning of the year but harder to practice as the months go by. And sometimes the newfound enthusiasm turns into complacency in the daily grind of life.
This year, AquaTerra TV wants to inspire people to live the best life they can live: To enrich relationships, thrive in career and finances, and strengthen all aspects of health. It’s a place that will offer hope, clarity, inspiration, and joy in the walk of life. Join Peter and I in this journey of wholeness and wellness through our blogs, videos and quotes.
We wish all the goodness and beauty this New Year has to offer you and your loved ones!
living your best 