Happy New Year! Can you believe we are going into another year, the last one didn't seem nearly long enough! May I start off by wishing you all a very happy 2014 and may it be filled with lots of happiness and joy for you all in all you do.
Ok, so a new year, normally brings about new resolutions. Things that are designed to help us be better, get fitter, feel happier. A lot of the time though, these resolutions are quite extravagant and to be honest, don't last that long.
The key to any resolution is that it must be simple enough and worthwhile to do it for more than 30 days. Why 30 days you ask? Well because after 30 days, anything you do normally becomes a habit and once you sow the seed to a habit (good or bad) and it grows, it is a lot harder to stop doing. For me for example, I spent the last two years spending one hour in prayer a day and now even if it's only 20 mins, I can't not start my day off without some form of time spent with God.
So with that all in mind, here's some resolutions/tips that I think will not only be easy enough to hopefully do, but also will help you to be happier in life and enjoy 2014 a whole lot more.
- Make a schedule of things to do- It may seem crazy to plan every minute of your life and frankly, it is! But this isn't about planning every minute of your life. It's about setting time aside to do things so that they get done. Scheduling doesn't need to be concrete. You need to be able to be flexible in making changes where needed especially when it comes to friends and family- but having a schedule (even in your head) of what you need to during a day and when to do it means it will get done sooner and you will realise that you actually do have time to do a lot more than you thought in a day.
- Stop feeling sorry for yourself- Yeah this one may sound harsh, but it's true. The more time we spend wallowing in our mistakes or the 'what could have been' scenarios, the more time we live in the past and fail to see the opportunities and joys in the present. As I said yesterday, we all make mistakes, but we are fortunate enough that God's grace and the resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ has ensured all our sins are forgiven. Own up to your mistakes and be willing to be humble enough to accept you aren't perfect, because no one is- but don't dwell on them. Once you've made a mistake, move on and learn from it. Now from personal experience I know this is hard, so start with small errors first, then once you've gotten use to doing this, move on towards the bigger areas of your life. You will feel a lot more free and happy if you can get this one to stick!
- Give of yourself to others- A quote once said that if you want to start feeling good, then start doing good. The old adage that is better to give than to receive is so true. The moment you start helping out others, whether it's singing at mass, spending time talking to that person at the shops you see every week, feeding the homeless, contacting long lost friends... that is the moment you will realise not only just how good it is to do something good, but more importantly, the amazing gifts God gives you to help others. We weren't placed in this world to help ourselves, which is why it's no surprise that when we try to achieve self-happiness, it's normally short lived and pretty shallow. True happiness comes in doing what God calls us to do- to be a light to others of his in the world, and we can do that simply by being there for them.
- Exercise- Yeah I know this is so cliche given it's on the top of every New Years resolution list but I'm not talking about doing a marathon or lifting 50kg. Even the simplest thing like going for a walk is beneficial to helping to improve your mindset as it gets you away from the busyness of life and lets you focus on something else for a while. Take some time to exercise and let your body's natural systems work to make you happier and healthier at the same time (I'm not going in-depth into this as I'm not a body scientist or exercise physiologist, but read the studies, they all vouch for what I'm saying!)
- Have an attitude to gratitude- Now this one is the simplest but also the most challenging ones to achieve. As I said yesterday, it is important to be looking for things that are good in your life, mainly because when you do, the bad ones never seem as bad. Last year as a team, we implemented this idea into our daily lives and in a lot of cases, it ensured we were happy even on our less than happy days. When things aren't going right, think of all the great things in your life. From funny videos, to great friends to food to coffee- I don't know what your particular gratitude spot is, but I know you have one, so find it and use it to keep you seeing the lighter and brighter side of life.
With all this said and done though, the most important thing about any New Year resolution is the word 'Year'! It's not a January resolution or a 1st of January resolution!
Any form of change is going to take time, so be patient and keep working to achieve your goals. Also if you don't achieve them, don't feel hard on yourself. Go back and see if they are really what you wanted to do this year and if they still are, then get back on the horse and try again. Edison didn't invent the light-bulb on the first attempt, nor on the 1000th, and the same goes for you. Keep trying and in trying, you will succeed if it's really what you want.
I wish you all the best with your goals/resolutions and as for me.. well I have one very simple goal this year, and that's to see the good in all no matter what. Yeah I know it's going to be hard, but I'm going to try so please keep praying for me and know I'm praying for you all too in your goals for the year ahead.
Peace out all :)
P.S. The amazing image that is shown with this post is from ACBC Youth Ministry Facebook Page
No comments:
Post a Comment