As 2018 draws to a close, no doubt most of us are sat thinking about what the last 12 months have done for us and eagerly awaiting what the next 12 months will bring us.
On reflection, 2018 has been an interesting year that has seen me step out my comfort zone, start a new journey, get fitter, get stronger, achieve, make new friends, lose friends, battle, war, almost get broken, get back up, carry on……to be honest, I can see 2019 being pretty similar……
Life has a funny way of giving you everything one minute, then throwing a curve ball to knock you off course, sometimes that ball is a lot harder than others.
Revelation time….It’s how you react to those knocks that makes all the difference. Of course you can feel sorry for yourself, but will you let that turn into wallowing in self pity? Will you let it manifest into an eternal anger? Will you see it as a lesson to learn from? Will you see it as something that you’ll come out from stronger?
Keeping a positive mind is easier said than done when life gets us down, but you can do it, you need to stay focused or at times refocus. Never be afraid to speak out and get support from somewhere. Make time for you, to get yourself back together, that could be your time in the gym, meditation, watching a film, just getting away from it all for a while.
The world doesn’t stop if you take time out for you. Prioritise, what’s more important, really important, I know I’d rather leave the housework for an extra day and spend time with someone special instead….we’re a long time dead, it’s easy to overlook what’s actually important at times due to life getting in the way, hence the need to re-prioritise regularly. Don’t let the daily grind get you down. Remember what really matters.
You have to do what makes you genuinely happy. Why allow something that makes you unhappy or causes you stress remain in your life? This could be a job, a person, the colour of your front door! Whatever it is, you have the choice to put up with it or take the plunge and change it. Yes it may be a huge hassle to do this, it may be scary, but look at the bigger picture…..if you know you will be happier in the long run it’ll be worth it. You have to take responsibility for your own happiness.
This leads me on to resolutions….come on, you’re all sat there thinking of something you’re intending to do come January 1st. It might be lose weight, it might be stop smoking, maybe stop swearing or give to charity? Learn Mandarin?!? But hang on, what’s stopping you doing it now? Why wait until a certain date to do something you want to do? It’s like that Monday thing, oh I’ll start on Monday, you fell off the wagon by Wednesday, so you say right! I’ll start again on Monday and the cycle continues. This attitude leads to failure. Setting yourself a set date to start something adds a pressure to do it, if you want to do it do it now! If you want to start eating healthier start today, if you slip up, start again from the next food that passes your lips, you’re not a failure you’re keeping at it! Stay focused, don’t add extra pressure by start dates, do it when you’re ready.
At the end of the day, life is a funny thing but we only get one shot. So make sure you live it as best you can, it’s ok to be selfish sometimes, stop worrying about everyone else and worry about you. Make every day as happy as you can, it’s really all in your hands…..
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and remember, you can do anything you want to if you set your mind to it. Let 2019 be about WHO you are, not what you are. Stay true to yourself.