Does New Years Day feel like just any other day to you? For most of us it does - minus the exhaustion that crashes down on us following the Christmas and New Year's celebrations.
We already know we're becoming an increasingly worried and extremely stressed population due to the overload of information thrown at us. What we should do and what we shouldn't do, only to find advice somewhere else that tells us the opposite.
But the 1st January takes things to a whole new level. It's the one day of the year we put an unreasonably large amount of pressure on ourselves to become a new person. A perfect person, the person we think we "should be". We're taught it's time to throw out the old, and bring in the new. Time to set resolutions and see them through until the end of time.
The problem with this is, we usually put together the same list of things every year that we continue to feel guilty about not doing, like I'll quit chocolate and I'll take up cross-fit. But before we know it the guilt has died down and life pretty much ticks back to normal.
So should we throw resolutions out all together?
Absolutely not. If it's part of your annual self-reflection process, keep at it.
If nothing else, resolutions are a great time to set aside and sit down to refocus. Dream up that ideal you.
The problem with them however is they are often short lived goals that do little but serve an immediate satisfaction for us to think we could actually live to be a perfect person.
We temporarily forget that life isn't perfect.
A more beneficial annual process for you to implement to kick-start your year, instead of dreaming up an ideal you, would be to use the practice of 'Acknowledgement', 'Gratitude' and 'Intention' (explained in detail below).
1. Acknowledgement
List three things you're proud of achieving in the past year.
Creating space to reflect on and acknowledge what we have achieved helps us to build confidence and strength. It spurs us forward with the belief that we can do great things.
2. Gratitude
List three things you're grateful for in your life right now.
We know know the importance of gratitude for living a happy and fulfilled life. While resolutions solely focus on what we don't have, gratitude fills us up and reminds us how lucky we are. There's nothing like a little balance and perspective to start the year.
3. Intention
Create a one word resolution.
Over detailed lists outlining how we should be, can too easily be forgotten through the stress and business of the year. Instead pick only one word that you'd like to keep as your intention throughout the year.
For example, balance or health or positivity. The number one thing in your life you'd like to work towards improving. Write it down where you will see it - on your fridge, beside your bed, or keep it in your wallet.
Put it somewhere that you will see it at least once a day. You're more likely to work towards this one clear goal over the year than spreading your intentions to thin.
Whether or not your the type to jump straight into your new years goals on the morning of 1 January, with your early morning run and kale salad, or you're more the type that'll just trust the new year will unfold as it should, to ensure your ultimate year ahead make the time today to do these 3 things.
Remember life is 10% what happens to us & 90% how we react to it.
Wishing you the happiest year yet!