The No Pressure Guide To New Year Success

The new year is here. All the hype of Christmas has been and gone. You have taken down the decorations, packed your relatives off and now your house looks bare.

So what happens now?

For some people the start of a new year doesn’t really mean all that much to them. It’s just another day right? But what if it does have meaning to you? What if you long for new year success?

Personally I enjoy the start of a new year. It represents a fresh start, time for self reflection and new opportunities that lay on the horizon. I love to make lists and jot things down (I don’t actually do much with my lists, but the thought is there! ??‍♀️) and above all I dream of creating a lasting new year habit or two that will make my year awesome.

Brainstorms and bin liners

I usually start the year having a mental brainstorm. What my aims are, what I hope to achieve, what I have learnt etc etc? I whip out the A3 paper and create my dream life using a variety of coloured pens ….. why??? I’m not sure but it makes me feel good in that moment. ?

Then the bin liners come out and I go on a mad clear out like a women possessed. Travelling from room to room, bagging anything that messes with my karma.

I sit back, feeling satisfied that I have started my new year, best foot forward. This year is going to be different ……. this year I’m not going to go back on my resolutions ………. this ……. is ……… my ………. YEAR!!!!!

One week later, the A3 paper starts to look tattered as it has been passed from shelf to shelf, leaned on, doodled on and folded in many places.

The bin liner is slowly emptied. Perhaps I will wear that jumper again, and those trousers. I can’t get rid of that biscuit tin….. it’s a perfectly good tin and besides I will probably buy some biscuits in eventually…….. just for guests of course!

Under Pressure

You see, as much as I enjoy the initial mental clear out and sudden military organisation I put myself and my home through, the pressure to keep up with my new year habits simply becomes too much.

There are too many things I want to change, the tasks become overwhelming.

The self doubt creeps in, I’m failing again. I can’t even manage a month ! A bloody month ! What a looser.

I am convinced the everyone else has their shit together. I’m also willing to bet that they haven’t broken their New Years Resolutions yet.

I feel as though I am forever watching people walk around in their gym ware as they do their weekly shop. Picking the kids up from school with their fluorescent green detox juice as they glow with health and vitality!

I am sure that their bin liners went in the bin, now they are living in their clutter free homes, with their clutter free minds and their A3 vision boards framed on the wall !

Why can’t I be like them?

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Yes ! I hear you cry !

Let’s try looking at things from a new perspective.

New Year Success Habits To Try

Decide what YOU want from the year ahead. Do you even want to make any changes? If not then why put yourself under unnecessary pressure?

Always remember, you can only assume that other people are being successful with their new year goals. How do you know that someone goes to the gym all the time just because they wear fitness clothes? Or that someone is more organised than you? You have no idea what is going on in someone else’s life, so don’t compare yourself !

Be realistic, Rome wasn’t built in a day !

Make your goals realistic. There is no harm in reaching for the stars, but some stars are too far away to reach in one go. Break your goals and ambitions down into smaller tasks. This way you are more likely to succeed each smaller task rather than feel as though you have failed the ENTIRE task.

Be yourself. I know it’s hard but it’s pointless comparing yourself to others. You are who YOU are and you need to own that. Your uniqueness is your secret weapon.

Your passions may be the key to your new year success

Where are your strengths? What do you have to offer? Are you passionate about a particular topic? What interests you? All of these questions require your full attention and time. Discovering your passions can lead you to your purpose. You might even surprise yourself with something you have overlooked about yourself !

LOVE yourself. Ok so if you have flaws, lumps and bumps in the wrong places, emotional baggage and a half empty glass attitude then it’s time to ease up on yourself. We are our own worst enemies and our harshest critics, but what do we achieve from self sabotage? NOTHING !

Looking yourself in the eye and appreciating what you do have. See your beauty and think about all that your body and mind have achieved over the years.

Be your own best friend. Spend time in your own company and really get to know yourself. Connecting with yourself on a deeper level will allow you to respect yourself more and is a new year habit worth working on.

If your vision for the year ahead goes off plan…… it’s ok. You can always rewrite it. Life is a day to day process and if your plan changes daily then thats ok too. It’s your life for you to live at your own pace. You define your own success.

When you fall off the diet wagon, don’t get hung up about it. Try to put that biscuit (or pack) behind you. You don’t have to wait until the following week or month to start again, smaller steps are the way to go. You have the rest of the day to keep trying and knowing that you didn’t right the day off and you got back on it straight away will boost your confidence and will power.

Finally ….

I hope that some of the points above will be useful to you throughought your search for success in your new year habits.

Remember we are not designed to be perfect. One persons idea of perfect is another persons disaster. The exciting thing about the new year ahead is that it’s yours. It belongs to you.

It’s ok to break a resolution. It is equally ok to have no resolutions.

When things don’t go to plan always remember that you don’t have to wait for the next new year to come round so that you can try again. Every day, every minute and every second are all fresh starts.

The only person putting pressure on you ……….. is you.

Be happy.

Please check out these other posts which will encourage healthy new year habits, have a look at how Mindfulness can enhance your life as well as ways to live your best life.

Have a great 2019 !