It's a new year, and what better to commemorate this triumph by creating a list of New Year's Resolutions. No, no, I'm not going to share mine, and I'm not going to list any possible ones for you. This list is for motivation. What will motivate you this year to do your very best on everything and give all you have to offer? What will give you the energy you need to get through that exam, inspection, or bland day?
I hereby provide you with motivation to not only get you to the next new year, but to help you with whatever resolutions you may have made for yourself.
1. Try, try and you may...
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”--Albert Einstein
2. Forgive and Forget...
“When you hold a grudge, you want someone else’s sorrow to reflect your level of hurt but the two rarely meet.”
- Steve Maraboli
3. Fresh start
4. Be thankful.
“The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.” - Charles Kuralt
5. Time will tell.
“Change doesn’t come in nickels and dimes. It comes in dedication and sweat.” - Toni Sorenson
6. Optimism is good.
7. Remind yourself
Every morning remind yourself what you are working for. What is your goal? You can display post-it notes or simply chant it every day, but make sure you remind yourself what you're pushing towards.
8. Show no fear.
Make sure that while you reach for your goal, you are aware of any drawbacks that could happen. Bumps in the road can happen so unexpectedly that it's great to consider what they might just be. Once you consider them, however, show them who's boss.
9. Piece by piece
So you have this huge goal that you're aiming for? Please, don't stress yourself out by trying to do it all at once. Such an enormous goal can take time, and there's no point in rushing for it because you may miss signs along the way. Maybe reach for the halfway point or even only a quarter of it, and then continue next year.
10. Identity
Who are you? Are you the kind of person you dreamed you'd be? If not, that's fine. Goals change, but don't lose sight of who you truly are. If you've been having issues with doing what you want to do rather than what others want you to do, consider changing it up and putting yourself first. You may feel selfish at first, but building yourself up can really help you discover who you are and what you want to do from then on.
11. No procrastination
12. No regrets
Following the lack of procrastination, you should ensure that among the possibly less than satisfactory days, you had those great days you cannot regret.
13. Enjoy.
In the year, let's say you go through a rough patch: your friends aren't talking to you, you're having trouble at work, or maybe it's an identity issue. Try to make the best of it and find your own way out of the situation. Working harder and/or breaking out of your comfort circle may be extremely hard for you to process, but when the storm comes, you just have to learn to dance in the rain.
14. Habits
Okay, so I'm fairly sure no one is perfect. We all have that one (or more) bad habit that we always want to stop. Maybe this year can be the year you break that habit. Just try to look for a way to condition yourself or teach yourself that it's bad to do it.
For example, I tend to bite my nails. Maybe I'll start wearing more nail polish so that it tastes bad every time I start chewing. Did you know there's even a specific nail polish just for nail-biters?
15. Make yourself comfortable.
Do whichever option will make you happy.
16. Social support
Weed out the people in your life that do not accept you for who you are. No matter your past, you deserve to have positive support for whatever you plan for yourself.
17. The old days
Look at your old puberty pictures so that you can see just how far you've come since then.
If you're experiencing puberty now or have just passed it, look at your baby pictures and realize that all that you have accomplished now could not have been done when you were a year old.
18. "The disgusting thing you are..."
In my sister's words, you should plan your month, rather than your year and write your goals on separate post-it notes, placing them wherever you can see your reflection. That way, when you see your reflection you see "how terrible you are and the suggestion to make it better."
It might not be the most self-esteem friendly idea, but I can see the positive way my sister sees it.
19. Last year's scum
Also according to my sister, the best way to motivate yourself for the new year is to get rid of everything from the last year. Scrub off the scum (take a shower). Throw away the filthy remnants (aka your toothbrush) and run down the road at exactly midnight.
20. And lastly, a happy little companion...
I hereby declare you worthy of the motivational bunny!
I wish everyone a successful new year!
Thank you, 2016, for the lessons you taught me.
I shall now figuratively write "2016" on a paper and let it fly away on the wind.
