With the New Year just around the corner, our mind does a little heavy-lifting, preparing a mental checklist of life-changing promises — the infamous new-year resolutions. While we gulp celebratory drinks or feast on sugar-laden pastries, for some reason, the new year seems to be the perfect time to reflect on our lives, make changes, and embark on new beginnings.
Most people are getting weary of the concept of resolutions because it is disappointing when they can’t stick to it. Resolutions feel like punishments, whereas they should be more inward-focussed, taking baby steps to alter an attitude for the better. In reality, resolutions can help overcome our weaknesses if we emphasise on developing a new attitude, instead of associating it with finishing a task. For this, having an attitude-oriented approach, instead of a goal-oriented one, helps. You don’t really want to end up making similar resolutions every year. So, pick an attitude to change and adapt your life around it.
Opt for a healthy lifestyleOne of the best resolutions is to lose 10-20 kg in the following year. You enrol in a gym or yoga class, and start dieting but by February it fizzles out. Lethargy and bad eating habits creep in again. Change your attitude and don’t sweat just to lose kilos or inches to fit into a dress. Instead, replace bad habits with good ones slowly, which will become an insurance for life-long health. Nourish yourself well, regularly exercise, make better choices while eating and reduce junk food. A good lifestyle keeps health problems at bay, and helps us sleep better. Make room for healthy recipes, sports, and make reading up on health-related articles a way of life.
Avoid procrastinationWe tell our friends, ‘I will take less stress this year’, and ‘work harder’. We tell our family, ‘I will have a good work/life balance.’ It helps to recognise that procrastination is one of the factors which trigger stress and unproductivity. Procrastinators struggle internally to do a new task, or to stick to an assigned task, and being focused to finish it. It eats into their conscience and they carry the stress and regret in their sleep too. Somehow, the next day or next week seems better suited to do the work. When your mind bullies you to exercise tomorrow or do the assignment/project tomorrow, it affects work, life, health and relationships. While YouTube and reruns of Two and a Half Men might be tempting, making conscious efforts to avoid procrastination can be instrumental in increasing happiness and productivity. Giving excuses to run errands or delaying a project makes you feel incompetent.
Embrace disciplineCultivate a mindset to be disciplined. It means being consistent and taking the initiative even when you don’t feel like doing something. Perseverance to study every day, or workout regularly, wake up early, quit smoking, to meditate or pray religiously is rewarding. The path has discomforts and distractions, but repetitive activity is valuable. Being disciplined boosts self-esteem, helps growth and gets multiple returns. Discipline might seem herculean, but not if you take baby steps to attain it. Be it your work, music, or arts, developing discipline in life leads to personal excellence.
Say ‘yes’ to new experiencesPeople dislike monotony. But apprehensions, hesitation and concerns trap us, depriving us of novel experiences. Stepping into the unknown and getting out of one’s comfort zone might seem scary, but it expands your horizon. Say ‘yes’ to new opportunities and experiences. Try new edible treats, habits and travel choices. Meet new people, choose a different pastime, and try workshops. Take a chance. Be spontaneous and adventurous. It’s exciting to expand knowledge, increase creativity and inculcate a ‘why-not’ attitude. Having an open mind helps, and new experiences become new possibilities.
OrganiseRemember when you wanted to tear out your hair in frustration because you couldn’t find the car keys when you were getting late to office? Our kitchens, rooms, closet, and office desk are for sure cluttered. When you dig to frantically search for a file or a dress, you waste precious time. An organised life helps you focus better on the work at hand, giving more time for important stuff. Old pictures, when sorted and stored, save time in locating. Developing an efficient system to reply to e-mails periodically, keeping a check on meetings, also help reduce chaos.
Complain lessShould the horrendous amount of complaints we have daily even be mentioned? Just envision a life with minimum complaints, especially of things not in our control. Life seems to feel better already. There are a host of things you could adopt this New Year. It could be to worry less about silly issues, saying ‘no’ when you are busy, reading more, focussing more on things that matter, developing more willpower, holding less grudges, learning new things constantly, and being more socially responsible. Pick one or more attitude, write it down and consistently work on making it a part of you.
Don’t be too hard on yourself to change overnight. Tell yourself lovingly, ‘I would love to minimize procrastination and be disciplined’. We tend to goof up many times when we try to change ourselves. Be forgiving. Remember, ‘We are only human’.
