The New Year is underway and it’s a good time to think about everyday habits that we can implement to make this a fabulous year and kick-start our dream-building mojo. I’m not talking resolutions (I don’t do resolutions) but I am talking about simple little habits that we can adopt that, taken over time, can add up to big changes in our lives and help us make great strides towards our biggest dreams this year.
#1. Sleep More/Sleep Better
Sleep is so important, and it’s the first thing most adults tend to sacrifice in favour of “getting stuff done”. Or maybe just in favour of Netflix binges. In any case, making sure you get enough sleep every night is one of the best things you can do to help you achieve your dreams and goals this year. When we are chronically sleep-deprived it affects our ability to think, and it affects our ability to actually do the things we want to. Making sure we’re properly rested can help us to make better progress towards the things we want in life.
A decent night's #sleep can help you make better progress w/ your goals! Click To Tweet#2. Eat Right
We all know that proper nutrition is important, but in a busy schedule it’s often easier to just throw something pre-packaged into the oven while you do something else, or to skip meals altogether. Neither option is ideal for giving us the kind of fuel we need to build big dreams. And the interesting thing is that, with a little bit of planning, making a proper meal often takes less time than waiting for something frozen to cook anyway!
#3. Get Some Exercise
Again, with our crazy-busy, always connected and on the go society, it’s so easy to let exercise slide when competing priorities arise. But getting a little bit of exercise every day is really important to maintaining our energy levels and ability to focus on making our dreams a reality. This doesn’t mean that you have to go to a gym or spend an hour on a treadmill if that’s not your thing – you could get your exercise in by dancing around your living room to your favourite music, or taking time on your lunch break to go for a walk outside.
#4. Meditate
Ah, the meditation thing again. By now, most people are aware of the many benefits that daily meditation can bring us, but this is another one of those things that we tend to drop off our schedules when other stuff comes up. To get the most out of this practice, it’s best to make it a priority: block it into your schedule as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself. Building dreams can sometimes be stressful; meditation can help you keep an even keel when things get bumpy.
#5. Focus on What You Want
As always, what we focus on is what we tend to draw into our reality. So make sure to take some time every day to think about what you want your life, and the world at large to be like this year. Focus on the positive and on all the things you’d like to manifest rather than all the things you fear or that you want to avoid. Give your energy to the good that you want to see, rather than getting mired in darkness.
Give your energy to the good that you want to see; don't #focus on darkness. Click To Tweet#6. Learn Something New
There’s nothing like novelty to spark creative thinking and generate new ideas that could help you get even closer to that big dream, so make it a point to learn something new this year. Sign up for a course that could help you master something that could help you with your dream, for example!
#7. Take Time for Creativity
When we were kids, we spent most of our time engaged in one kind of creative pursuit or another. We imagined, we painted, we danced, we sang, we built, we wrote. When we grew up, however, most of us put all those things on a shelf in favour of more “serious” things. But creativity is serious business! How do you expect to build your dream if you can’t think outside the box anymore? It’s time to limber up those flabby creativity muscles again! Give yourself time this year to do something that you used to enjoy, and watch how it helps you get closer to your dream.
#8. Get a Handle on Your Finances
Nobody likes to think about finance. Well, maybe accountants, but nobody understands those people anyway. 😉 But making sense of your money situation and how to create wealth in your life will only help you to build your dreams. Most people cite money as one of the biggest obstacles between them and their dreams, so figuring out how money works and getting a handle on the money that is already in your life can help you to bring more of it into your life and get it working for you.
Most people cite #money as one of the biggest obstacles between them & their dreams. Click To Tweet#9. Trust in Joy
We have become a society that is suspicious of joy. We’re always “waiting for the other shoe to drop” or wondering what the “catch” is to any positive situation or experience. But if our dominant energy pattern is one that repels joy, then how can we ever hope to find happiness in life? Learn to accept the joyful moments for what they are. Let yourself have those small joys and revel in them. Feel them fully and appreciate every aspect of them. And trust that they are meant to be and that more such joys are already being lined up for you.
#10. Express Gratitude
Be grateful for all the small joys in your life. Be grateful for small kindnesses and simple pleasures. Enjoy all that this beautiful world has to offer you and take a moment to appreciate the good that is out there. Take a few minutes every night before you go to bed to think about what you are most grateful for that happened during the day. By giving appreciation and gratitude for all that we already have in our lives, we create the kind of energy that draws more into our lives that we can be grateful for.
#11. Work on Your Dream Every Day
Finally, the best thing that you can do to make this your best year yet is to make a commitment to yourself that you will work towards your big dream every single day, with whatever time you have available. Even if it’s just half an hour a day, that adds up over time. It’s the baby steps – the small consistent actions that we take consistently – that tip the scales in favour of our success.
So there you have it: Eleven habits to adopt for a fabulous year. Got a habit that you want to add to the list? Share it in the comments section below. 🙂
photo credit: pixabay.com cc (modified by me)
