This year has gone by faster and wilder than a rollercoaster!
- Were you able to fasten your seatbelt?
- Did you have the time to say a little prayer and hope for the best?
- Or even condition your mind for what’s about to happen?
With the year drawing to a close, I guess what really matters is: did you enjoy the ride?
Are you happy with how you spent the last 365ish days?
Come to think of it, those are a whole lot of days! It just makes me wonder if we were able to get the most out of each day that passed. So, let’s take a second to review your year and see how we can build upon that to make next year even better.
First things first
Most of us may have regrets, missed opportunities and frustrations this year and (who are we kidding?) every year.
It’s human. It’s normal.
I know- you might be thinking about how negative this sounds but we must get in touch with ourselves and think about these things first. If we don’t, how else are we going to make things better next year?
Even if you had a fantastic year, there’s always room for improvement as much as there is the proverbial pat on the back.
Year after year after year after year…
Each year seems like it’s disappearing faster than the last – and short of being able to control time itself, the best way to ensure we are making the most of our time is… well, making the most of our time.
I know that this is a cliché, end-of-the-year post, but I really want to drive home the message here: the world is your oyster – there are so many ways for you to learn and opportunities to grow. So, do you want to sink at the bottom or conquer the current?
The world is your oyster – there are so many ways for you to learn and opportunities to grow. So, do you want to sink at the bottom or conquer the current?
To help you reflect on how you felt about this year, I’ve got some questions prepared for you.
So, ask yourself the following “yearly check in” questions:
Be honest!
- Did you set realistic goals this year?
- Did you achieve them or at least go out of your way to make some progress?
- Did this year bring exactly what you wanted? (in any aspect like romance, career, self-improvements, etc.)
- Did something unexpected happen, yet you dealt with it in the best way you could have?
- Are you happy with the majority of the decisions you made during the year?
- Was this year a success, according to you?
If you answered “yes” honestly to the above questions, then congratulations!
You should be proud of yourself and take comfort in the fact that this year has contributed a lot of value to your life. Well done.
If you were less than successful, well, hey… no one’s perfect!
But if you’ve come here to read the words “That’s okay! There are still many more years to come!”, let me rephrase this to: “That’s okay – you’ll try your hardest next year because every day is a great opportunity and we’re not certain if we still have many more years to come!”
How’s that for some tough love?
But that’s what we need to succeed. This is about administering some tough love to get everyone motivated to learn from shortcomings, and to get you back in shape to conquer next year instead.
What do you truly want next year?
So now, in late December when everyone is reflecting back on the year that was, take the time to ask yourself what you really want over your next twelve months.
Because we’re lucky that we’re given each day as a chance to be better and do more. Now, it’s up to you – will you take that chance?
What do you need to do to get you that one step closer to ultimate fulfilment?
Read on!
Here are some tips to make the most out of the coming year:
1. Set realistic, but ‘stretch’ goals
A stretch goal is basically a challenging objective. Although, this doesn’t mean that you should work 20x harder. It could be an opportunity for you to get creative and take more innovative approaches. Whatever you want to achieve, think: how can I stretch myself a little further without being unrealistic.
2. Write them down!
Like a dog and a bone, being able to constantly see and monitor your goals really helps. It will provide compelling motivation to keep working towards them, rather than just having them rolling around in your brain.
3. Give yourself solid deadlines (not just Dec 31st)
If all your goals are due on the last day of the year, I’m sorry but this is just an excuse for cramming. When you spread out your deadlines, all your goals will have designated periods of time for you to focus and work on each one.
4. Reward yourself for each milestone you reach
Milestones are an indication that you’ve been doing great – so make sure you celebrate every one of them and don’t forget to thank yourself for going this far.
5. Stop making excuses; only you end up suffering
Excuses are often a way out from recognising negative behaviour. And if you get used to making these excuses, you may never address and fix those negative habits.
6. Don’t lose yourself in the process
It’s easy to get swayed by other people – their power, their influence and success. We all want to achieve those. I mean, who wouldn’t? But it’s important to remember that we have our own steps to take and not simply follow the path of others.
7. Don’t mind what others say
We’re all guilty of worrying too much about what others will think about our opinions and choices. This leads to us making decisions that we are not truly happy about.
8. ACTION – don’t wait. Make something happen.
Need I say more?
If you want to go somewhere, you better start moving.
Remembering Buddha’s famous quote: “The trouble is, you think you have time.”
It’s both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. Accepting the fact that we don’t know how many chances we have left to pursue our dreams is scary, but it gives us that push to take risks and give it everything we’ve got.
It’s scary knowing we don’t know how many chances we have left to pursue our dreams – but it gives us that push to take risks and give it everything we’ve got.
What would your future-self think?
To end this little reflection, think forward to your future self, sitting where you are now, looking at another year gone by; what do you want them to be thinking?
I hope this has helped you feel more motivated to work on your goals for next year!
Good luck and may the next year hold in store even more for you.
Christopher Melotti and the entire Melotti Media team
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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