Embracing Your New Life in 2020
Happy New Year and New Decade! While we can start a new habit any day of the year, there’s something fun about embracing your new life at the beginning.
Are you ready to put your best foot forward?
Do you believe that what you do these first few days sets the tone for the rest of your year?
If so, then it’s time to ignite your life and dominate 2020.
What Do You REALLY Want?
I’ve talked in other blog posts about setting goals that you need to make SMART goals that are measurable, achievable, and timely.
But having goals isn’t enough.
Unfortunately, many people focus on goals without stepping back to look where those goals are taking them. It would be like climbing up a ladder only to discover you were on the wrong wall.
Spend some time identifying your true life goals.
What is it you truly want to do? Who do you want to be? What do you want to master?
If you are emotionally connected to your goal, then you have a greater chance of achieving it.
Create Goals That Excite You
Consistently achieving your goals builds up your self-esteem. Having a high self-esteem leads to personal happiness.
When you set a clear goal, you change your own reality. You limit your negative limiting beliefs, and you start to see yourself as the changed person.
One of the paths to achieving greatness is visualization. I’ve talked about that in prior blogs. And in last month’s book review, visualization is a key component to Pyscho-Cybernetics.
Embracing your new life helps your health
Getting excited about your goals is also good for your overall health.
We’ve all heard stories about people who died after losing their job or retiring. These people lost their sense of purpose. I’m not saying you need to work for the rest of your life!
You need to always have goals that help you to grow and work towards something meaningful to you.
And don’t be afraid of failing to achieve them. Part of the benefit is making mistakes and learning. Setting goals and taking steps along the path to achieve them puts you in control of creating the future you desire.
Sifting the wheat from the chaff
Now is the time to connect with you. What did you dream you wanted when you were young?
Many times we had dreams like becoming an author or playing in a band. But we were told those weren’t practical dreams. And we let ourselves be stopped.
It’s time to accept that what you were told wasn’t necessarily true. And, now that you have the perspective of an adult, you can identify ways of making it happen now in your life.
Still want to play in a band? Find some like-minded people and play on the weekend.
Still want to be an author? Write! Have fun learning writing. It’s easier than ever to publish a book using online platforms.
Pick one dream that still ignites you on the inside and plan where you want to be this time next year. Then visualize yourself having achieved it.
Finally, figure out the next step you need to take to get moving down that path this week.
Programming Your Mind for Success
Sadly, we often lose momentum when working on our goals. We reach a part that’s difficult. Or something happens in life to distract us.
There are some simple tricks you can use to get yourself back on course.
Add Notes In Your Calendar or Diary
Put in a random note to remind yourself to get back on track with your goal. That way, if you get busy or distracted, you will be reminding yourself that your goal is important.
Then, you can schedule your next steps to stay on course.
Create Affirmation Cards
Using affirmations will help program your subconscious mind. You can do something as simple as writing them down on index cards and leave them around where you normally live or work.
When you see the card, take a moment to become fully present, and then repeat your affirmation.
The best ones are personal, present, positive and specific. Other recommendations are to use at least one dynamic feeling word such as grateful.
And include an action word like “growing” or “enjoying”
An example would be, “I’m so grateful now that I’m speaking Chinese fluently. My friends who speak Chinese tell me that I’m easy to understand.”
They can be a little more general like “I’m so happy and grateful now that I’m making $$ each month working in a job that I love that gives me time to travel to antique conventions.”
Accelerate Your Success
The best way to accelerate achieving your goals is to create an action plan. The best way is to take the end result, and work backwards.
What you’re effectively doing is creating mini-goals to achieve. That helps build momentum.
This plan doesn’t have to be perfect. You will learn so much along the way. And it doesn’t even have to be a list of steps.
The Power of Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a fantastic way to get everything out of your head. You start with a central idea, and then create branches off of that with steps you need to take.
Mind mapping also allows you to see connections between steps.
Then each day, take consistent action towards your goal.
Small regular action will get you massive results over time instead of one whole day every few weeks. So be kind to yourself with small steps.
Become a High Performer
Choose to be a high performer starting today.
What does that mean? Being a high performer means you are achieving those consistent daily actions we talked about in the prior section.
This is opposite of a peak performer who focuses their time and energy on one thing. This may allow them to achieve it, like an Olympic medal. But it’s not sustainable.
High performers also have less stress because they feel on top of their lives.
So how do you become a high performer? Well, the following are habits you can take on starting today.
- Know when to take short breaks
- Creating a daily success planner with the three things you will accomplish today
- Blocking out time for your goals
- Be mindful of your time (no binge watching Netflix or mindless surfing)
- Increase your energy and focus through single-tasking, diet, and exercise
Let Go of Your Limiting Beliefs
This will help you release the bonds and embrace your new life in 2020 the fastest.
First, you need to remember your achievements are not defined by your circumstances. Take full control and responsibility for your life.
Then you need to believe that you will achieve your goal.
If that negative voice comes up in your head, spend some time exploring it. Why do you think it’s saying what it said?
Is that because of a prior experience? Or maybe you’re afraid to take the next step? Remember that it’s easier to take small steps than one big leap.
Use your journal to talk your way through these limiting beliefs, and find a way to remove them that works for you.
But don’t use this as an excuse not to move forward. Jet planes do not have rear view mirrors. Identify, learn, release, and keep moving.
My Final Thoughts
Now is the best time to embrace your new life. We have a new year, a new month and a new decade.
Set up stepping stones to remind you to get back on track with your goal. Keep visualizing yourself as achieving it. Really emotionally connect to this.
It’s your life and you should receive great things.
Let go of beliefs that hold you back. And let go of the idea that mistakes are bad.
Not much is worse than knowing but never doing.
So go ignite yourself. Spend some time over the next few days planning out the big goal you want to achieve that will be meaningful to who you want to be.
Then go do it!
