2010: MAKE IT YOUR NEW YEAR

Learn How To Make The Most Of The New Year!

If you’re thinking that 2009 wasn’t exactly the best year ever, you are far from alone. Many Americans faced upheaval in their lives and had to make drastic changes, cutting back on expenses and trimming the fat. We all took time to reprioritize our energies and efforts, which isn’t always the most exciting task, but a necessary action when the chips are down.

The good news about coming off a year of slack and woe is that there is only one way to go from here: UP! In all likelihood, your 2010 is probably going to be better than your 2009, so you might as well take the reigns of the upswing and not only have a good year, but OWN it. Make 2010 your year!

With the flip of the calendar we often reflect on changes in our life, and as a new decade rolls in you should take stock of what you have and where you are going. Did 2009 leave you with a new job? New place to live? New friends? All of the above? With so many adjustments in the air, it is easy to become flustered with all the difference. But try to embrace the ‘new’ in your life and step forward confidently to make those changes work in your favor. Even if the differences might seem negative, every cloud truly has a silver lining. Did you move into a smaller apartment? Less cleaning to do! Were you laid off from your office job? Time to pursue your passion for the outdoors! Get dumped by your boyfriend? Now you can find a smarter one! Examine the shifts in your life and look for the positive factors that come with change.

EMBRACE THE NEW YEAR

Embrace the new year, and make it yours. 2010 is a fresh start, and you can mold it however you want. To reach your dreams, you must first know what they are, so take a moment to write down your goals for the upcoming year. Take note of big goals (start a career freelance painting) and small ones (organize sock drawer) and wild ones (go skydiving). Try to define each dream in tangible, concrete steps. “Eat healthy” is a fabulous goal, but it is too vague to truly inspire action. Instead you might want to: “stop drinking soda, eat a salad for lunch three times a week, and have fruit at every breakfast.” These are doable goals that will encourage you more and give you something to feel inspired about as you see your progress from week to week.

NEW YEAR, NEW RESOLUTIONS AND GOALS

Has ‘quit smoking’ or ‘lose weight’ been on your list of New Year’s resolutions for the last decade? Face the facts and enlist some help in your endeavor; there is no shame but only pride in signing up for Weight Watchers or finally seeing a doctor about your addiction. Try to fill an entire page with your hopes and dreams for 2010 and beyond, even the goals that scare you or that you have failed at before.

When looking forward to the future, don’t forget to take stock of the blessings in your present. It is easy to focus on the negative; worry about your job situation or lack thereof can overshadow the fact that you are healthy and able to go look for one. If you tend towards pessimism, set time out of every morning to think about all the positive things in your life. This will give you the fuel and inspiration you need to change some of the negative facets of your existence. It is sometimes hard to seize the day when the day feels like junk, so if you find yourself in this situation, then try your hardest to focus on the future and visualize a better tomorrow. Believe in yourself and be confident; often all it takes is a mental switch to make positive change in your life. You can see yourself as unemployed and down on your luck or see yourself as free and ready to start a new path in life. The situation is the same, only your outlook has changed.

On your list of goals, make sure the theme is positive. Instead of writing, “don’t eat French fries every meal,” write: eat French fries once a month. Just the act of reading the word “don’t” can put you in a negative mood, so make sure your list of to-do’s is uplifting to read. Dreams are more fun to reach for and achieve if they don’t have the word “don’t” in front of them! Make sure to add in positive and easy goals that don’t require a huge time commitment or expense: cook a Thai dinner, go for a walk in a new park, volunteer at a soup kitchen or get a box of crayons and color pictures for your fridge!

PLAN A TRIP FOR THE NEW YEAR

This is also a great time to plan a trip for 2010. Even if it is just a small weekend getaway, it will give you something to look forward to. Commit to the trip now, and start setting aside money and slowly getting any travel gear or needed equipment ready. If you save $100 a month today you will have enough for an exciting autumn trip, so do it. Make sure to add this to your list of goals, and put up pictures or make a photo collage of your destination to inspire you even on the dreariest of days.

Most of all as you look forward to a new year, ripe with fresh changes, new faces and neat places, be sure to celebrate and give thanks for another turn of the clock and another year to curve the course of fate in your favor. You have another year in which to breath, to hug your loved ones, to taste new soups, to pet puppies, to run in the rain, to read silly poems, and to use every single day to chase your dreams and move forward to the greatest you possible.

2010 is here; make it your year!

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” Thoreau

More Empowering Articles

Shilo Urban is a freelance writer who has just relocated to Los Angeles after her previous homes of Seattle, New Zealand, Paris, Maine, and Austin. She is an active member of the West Coast electronic music community and lives to promote the art that she loves and the people who create it.