We made it! We made it into 2022, yaaaaaay!!! Wait, you’re not excited about that? You feel like it’s just another day? Really? Could it have something to do with…boredom? You are not doing anything new and exciting and so don’t see the big deal about, just-another-day, right?
Surround yourself with positive people
Well guess what? I used to feel this way too, you know, lethargic about life. And don’t get me started on New Year Resolutions…which I end up not sticking to thoroughly. And then end up going through the rest of the year sluggishly and with indolent sighs at just about every situation I’m not happy with. I had to snap out of it as I realised my demeanour wasn’t doing me any favours and so I had to change my mindset…that’s the best place to start with bringing about a change.
I would tell myself at the end of each quarter (that’s every 3 months) that I would do better; a better me in the next quarter. How would I do that?
- Keep a circle of positive people only – I realised that by doing this, I stayed mostly positive and had people to keep my spirits high in times when I needed to. I begun to stay away from and lose contacts of people who I considered were having a negative impact on me
- Doing the difficult things first – this I learnt over 2 decades ago; take on the most uncomfortable tasks first and get it out of the way. The things you don’t consider difficult come to you easily naturally
- Gratitude – this is a good attitude to have; always be thankful for everything. That you woke up from bed, that you have clothes on your back, that you have food to eat…be grateful for all these and more
- Be honest – being honest can be considered tough, especially on oneself. But being honest with yourself is the best way of changing your mindset – you’re not perfect, none of us is.
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson – we all make mistakes, but when we do, do we learn the lesson from the mistake?
- Forgive – learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes, this way, you can also forgive others who wrong you. A forgiving spirit frees your spirit and mind
- Listen to your inner voice – we all hear it, all the time. We just ignore it – and later pay for it dearly. The expression, “Listen to you guts” should be your guiding principle. You may not always be comfortable with the result, but it usually is the right thing to do
- Choose progress over procrastination – the other expression that best explains this is: don’t put off till tomorrow , what you can do today. There will always be a million exposes why you can’t do something but if you’re determined, you will find one compelling reason why you should
- Have a dream and nurture it – Martin Luther King had a Dream, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Whilst race relations may not be considered as being at its best in the US (against the George Floyd murder, for instance) some believe that a part of Martin Luther King’s dream was realised when Barack Obama was elected and became the first Black President of the United States of America. Though Martin Luther King did not live to see this, his dream has been kept alive through generations after him. Don’t let go of your dreams; it could inspire generations yet unborn.
- New friendships – you must widen your network of friends and acquaintances for that is the sure way to become an empathetic person. You are young and yet to start out your life as an adult. Take it from me; some of the best friends you will make will be those you make in these years; not in your adult years. And remember this maxim: Make new friends but keep the old.
Happy New Year!!!!
