Ah, a new year is upon us and traditionally it’s the time of year where everyone resolves to be a better person. Some make plans to lose weight, quit smoking, or join a gym. And while these are all very worthwhile and positive goals, people often set themselves up for failure by not developing a real plan to carry them out. Here’s a thought:  this year for your resolution, resolve to recognize that you’re important.  Below are some ways to follow through!

1. Spend your time on the right people – These are the individuals in your life who love and appreciate you, and encourage you in healthy ways. The people who not only love and accept you for who you are now, but make you want to be a better you! With that much positive energy flying around, all you can do is succeed.
2. Stop avoiding your problems – Problems. We all have them. But the most important thing to remember is that problems do not define who we are as an individual, but how we react and recover from them. Take action, do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.
3. Be honest with yourself about everything – Self-delusion can be a pretty power, and crippling, tool. In order to clearly define where you’re going, you have to clearly know where you start. Be honest with yourself about everything, good or bad. You’ll thank you!
4. Prioritize happiness – You and your needs matter. Keep in mind that it IS possible to take care of yourself as well as the people around you. After all, who is better equipped to look out for you and stick up for you…. but you?
5. Be Yourself – “Genie” from Aladdin had it right… the most important thing is to “bee yourself”. Embrace the individual inside you that is like no one else.
6. Live and be in the present – Right now matters. Right now is happening. So often we focus down the road, what our goals are and what is on our to-do list, that we rob ourselves of the beauty of now.  Appreciating the moment at hand goes a long way to reducing stress and being thankful for what we have.
7. See the lesson – Mistakes afford us the opportunity to grow as an individual and learn from what has happened. Don’t become so caught up in the upset you feel in making a mistake that you lose sight of what it can teach you. After all, mistakes are what make us human!
8. Be thankful – Always be grateful for what you have, and don’t let future goals overshadow what you have now.
9. Dream and think big – In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s usually about taking a chance. Whether this be an idea, or even giving new people in your life a chance, if you don’t try you’ll never know. Wayne Gretzky said it best: “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
10. The only person you should compete against is yourself – Stop comparing yourself to others and start comparing yourself to an earlier version of you. Celebrate the improvements you’ve made and be honest about the areas you can improve on. This goes back to being honest with yourself, about everything!
11. Be other people’s cheerleader – Release negative feelings of jealousy and envy and cheer other people’s successes. That much positive energy has no choice but to be sent forward!
12. Be a helping hand – There are few joys greater than the ability to help others.
13. Be aware of and manage your stress – Slow down. Breathe. And recognize when you really just need to take a step back. A brief recess can rekindle your creativity as well as give you a new perspective to solve a problem. Does “can’t see the forest for the trees” ring a bell?
14. Strive for good, not for perfection – Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Accept and appreciate your world as it is, and work to make things good, not perfect. Perfect is an ideal that everything will fail to.
15. KISS principle – Keep is simple, stupid! Rome wasn’t built in a day and your outlook and overview of your life won’t change in a day either. Be patient and kind to yourself, and the goals you want to achieve will be more likely to come to you.

As you welcome in the New Year, remember today… for it is the beginning.

Source Url: http://gobelmont.ca/lets-hear-it-for-realistic-resolutions/