How to Make This the Best Year of Your Life
Engage in self-reflection., Identify your goals and steps to reach them., Select a word or a phrase that characterizes your vision for the year., Remove distractions., Learn how to manage your money., Be inspired.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Engage in self-reflection.
Having optimism about yourself and your abilities heightens your expectations about your future, enhances self-esteem and can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Therefore, to start your preparations for the best year ever, you should perform the best possible future self exercise.
Doing such an exercise enables you to understand your desires for the future and organize your life so that you are moving in the direction you prefer.For this exercise, think openly about your future life.
Envision all your successes.
Consider that all your dreams have come true.
Now, write down what those future successes look like to you.
Conduct this exercise for 20 minutes for three days in a row.
Another exercise from Central Michigan University asks that you imagine that you have millions of dollars.
No bills or payments of any kind need to be made.
You have the money free and clear to spend as you will.
How would you spend it? This exercise helps you to discover your passions and how you truly want to spend your time. -
Step 2: Identify your goals and steps to reach them.
Once you've gotten an idea of what your dreams look like, you can proceed to goal-setting.
You have envisioned a future ripe with success.
What will it take to get there? What can you be doing today to fulfill your dreams tomorrow?Based on the self-reflection exercises jot down between 3 and 5 large goals.
Next, break each of these larger goals down into 3 to 5 smaller steps.
These smaller steps will be what your daily actions are moving you towards this year.
Keep in mind that goals that align with your vision of your best possible future self are more likely to be achieved.Consider a timeline for reaching the larger goals and the smaller goals.
Are you being reasonable about the amount of time you need? For example, refrain from saying you will get a bachelor's degree in two years since most degrees are obtained in 4 to 5 years.
However, be sure not to say you'll give yourself 7 years to accomplish this goal, as this is more than will be needed for most people.
Write down a few circumstances that you anticipate might set you back from reaching your goals.
Think of scenarios to overcome these circumstances.
For example, imagine one of your parents becomes sick.
Think about how you can still move towards earning your degree even if you have to take time off from school to care for your mom or dad. , Once you have engaged in self-reflection and goal-setting, you should be more aware of where you are directing your focus and energy for this year.
Strive to find one word or a phrase that encapsulates your goals.
Say this word in your mind as you are enduring difficult tasks.
Repeat it aloud to motivate yourself to keep moving towards your goals.
Write the word on your notebook or planner.
See it everyday.
After awhile, you will associate your efforts with that word (or phrase) and it will give you strength, and refocus you when the path becomes unclear.
Examples of a word might be "compassion"
"intentional"
or "leader".
Phrases might be "Impossible is nothing" or "Small changes.
Big results." If you have trouble thinking of a word or phrase, go back to the best possible future self exercise.
Think about the person you described yourself as.
What are some traits or characteristics of that person? How does that person make others around him feel? , People, tasks, habits, and clutter that do not propel you towards greatness must go.
Get organized.
Develop a daily schedule that allows you to perform tasks that touch on each of your goals in some small way.
Then, examine your life to determine which behaviors or people often stop you from getting things done.Any behaviors you have that are not productive need to be identified and eliminated.
Yes, of course, you will have setbacks and make mistakes; that's normal.
But, in order to have a fulfilling year, you must know going in which habits might hold you back.
For example, if you waste several hours each day on Facebook, remove the app from your cell phone and only access it during certain times on another device such as a laptop or tablet.
Read more here about getting rid of bad habits.
If there are people who encourage you to engage in any bad habits, it may be a good idea to break ties or limit your interactions with these individuals.
It may seem harsh to sever ties with certain people, but if they are de-motivating you, using you, or making you feel bad about yourself, it will be in your best interest to distance yourself from these toxic relationships., Money-management can be a chore; but it's worth it in the long run.
If you are wanting to be prepared for the best year ever, you need to have your financial ducks in a row.
Managing your money properly can be instrumental towards obtaining your future goals.
Let's say you want to save up to buy a new car, a house, or a plane ticket to Australia.
All of that requires close monitoring and tracking of your finances.
Here are just a few tips to getting your financial house in order:
Sit down and create a household budget that takes into account your monthly income and expenses.
Determine how much money is necessary for different categories like utilities, groceries, water, and transportation.
Aim to save money each month, preferable before you spend any money on non-essentials.
If you find that your current expenses use up your entire income, you need to look for ways to cut back (i.e. entertainment, eating out, cable or satellite) or find additional ways to make more income.
Check your credit scores each year and know where you stand. , Listen to music, read books, browse art, and watch documentaries or films that align with your vision for the year.
Motivation is like bathing, you must do it daily for it to be effective.
Create a vision board that you can look at daily for motivation.Purchase a poster board or cork board and paste pictures and quotes there that bring your goals into focus.
For example, if you want to go back to school for a graduate degree, you might post images of a student in a class, the logo for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and quotes about learning.
Spend a few moments each morning staring at your vision board and channeling positive energy to reach the goals posted there.
Always remember that you can turn to your special word or phrase for inspiration, too. -
Step 3: Select a word or a phrase that characterizes your vision for the year.
-
Step 4: Remove distractions.
-
Step 5: Learn how to manage your money.
-
Step 6: Be inspired.
Detailed Guide
Having optimism about yourself and your abilities heightens your expectations about your future, enhances self-esteem and can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Therefore, to start your preparations for the best year ever, you should perform the best possible future self exercise.
Doing such an exercise enables you to understand your desires for the future and organize your life so that you are moving in the direction you prefer.For this exercise, think openly about your future life.
Envision all your successes.
Consider that all your dreams have come true.
Now, write down what those future successes look like to you.
Conduct this exercise for 20 minutes for three days in a row.
Another exercise from Central Michigan University asks that you imagine that you have millions of dollars.
No bills or payments of any kind need to be made.
You have the money free and clear to spend as you will.
How would you spend it? This exercise helps you to discover your passions and how you truly want to spend your time.
Once you've gotten an idea of what your dreams look like, you can proceed to goal-setting.
You have envisioned a future ripe with success.
What will it take to get there? What can you be doing today to fulfill your dreams tomorrow?Based on the self-reflection exercises jot down between 3 and 5 large goals.
Next, break each of these larger goals down into 3 to 5 smaller steps.
These smaller steps will be what your daily actions are moving you towards this year.
Keep in mind that goals that align with your vision of your best possible future self are more likely to be achieved.Consider a timeline for reaching the larger goals and the smaller goals.
Are you being reasonable about the amount of time you need? For example, refrain from saying you will get a bachelor's degree in two years since most degrees are obtained in 4 to 5 years.
However, be sure not to say you'll give yourself 7 years to accomplish this goal, as this is more than will be needed for most people.
Write down a few circumstances that you anticipate might set you back from reaching your goals.
Think of scenarios to overcome these circumstances.
For example, imagine one of your parents becomes sick.
Think about how you can still move towards earning your degree even if you have to take time off from school to care for your mom or dad. , Once you have engaged in self-reflection and goal-setting, you should be more aware of where you are directing your focus and energy for this year.
Strive to find one word or a phrase that encapsulates your goals.
Say this word in your mind as you are enduring difficult tasks.
Repeat it aloud to motivate yourself to keep moving towards your goals.
Write the word on your notebook or planner.
See it everyday.
After awhile, you will associate your efforts with that word (or phrase) and it will give you strength, and refocus you when the path becomes unclear.
Examples of a word might be "compassion"
"intentional"
or "leader".
Phrases might be "Impossible is nothing" or "Small changes.
Big results." If you have trouble thinking of a word or phrase, go back to the best possible future self exercise.
Think about the person you described yourself as.
What are some traits or characteristics of that person? How does that person make others around him feel? , People, tasks, habits, and clutter that do not propel you towards greatness must go.
Get organized.
Develop a daily schedule that allows you to perform tasks that touch on each of your goals in some small way.
Then, examine your life to determine which behaviors or people often stop you from getting things done.Any behaviors you have that are not productive need to be identified and eliminated.
Yes, of course, you will have setbacks and make mistakes; that's normal.
But, in order to have a fulfilling year, you must know going in which habits might hold you back.
For example, if you waste several hours each day on Facebook, remove the app from your cell phone and only access it during certain times on another device such as a laptop or tablet.
Read more here about getting rid of bad habits.
If there are people who encourage you to engage in any bad habits, it may be a good idea to break ties or limit your interactions with these individuals.
It may seem harsh to sever ties with certain people, but if they are de-motivating you, using you, or making you feel bad about yourself, it will be in your best interest to distance yourself from these toxic relationships., Money-management can be a chore; but it's worth it in the long run.
If you are wanting to be prepared for the best year ever, you need to have your financial ducks in a row.
Managing your money properly can be instrumental towards obtaining your future goals.
Let's say you want to save up to buy a new car, a house, or a plane ticket to Australia.
All of that requires close monitoring and tracking of your finances.
Here are just a few tips to getting your financial house in order:
Sit down and create a household budget that takes into account your monthly income and expenses.
Determine how much money is necessary for different categories like utilities, groceries, water, and transportation.
Aim to save money each month, preferable before you spend any money on non-essentials.
If you find that your current expenses use up your entire income, you need to look for ways to cut back (i.e. entertainment, eating out, cable or satellite) or find additional ways to make more income.
Check your credit scores each year and know where you stand. , Listen to music, read books, browse art, and watch documentaries or films that align with your vision for the year.
Motivation is like bathing, you must do it daily for it to be effective.
Create a vision board that you can look at daily for motivation.Purchase a poster board or cork board and paste pictures and quotes there that bring your goals into focus.
For example, if you want to go back to school for a graduate degree, you might post images of a student in a class, the logo for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and quotes about learning.
Spend a few moments each morning staring at your vision board and channeling positive energy to reach the goals posted there.
Always remember that you can turn to your special word or phrase for inspiration, too.
About the Author
Natalie Gutierrez
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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