5 Positive Goals for Ringing in the New Year

Happy 2020!! I hope everyone has recovered from the holidays...they are always nice to be a part of but definitely lots of food, toys...loss of sleep....My two year old daughter got a lot of cool things from Santa this year and her family, now we are trying to figure out where to put everything! We are so grateful for everything everyone has gotten for our family. It can be tough when having a smaller house to find places for bigger toys! Anyone else have this problem? Anyway, here are 5 important goals to remember for the new year!

1. Surround yourself with positive people. It sounds so incredibly simple, but start to filter out those who put down others, or go out of their way to find reasons to be negative.

2. Always try to go with your gut feeling. Being a therapist, I have seen so many clients struggle with big decisions. In the end, they always tell me they went with their gut feeling and felt happier they did this! The head plays tricks on us when we overthink! I have done the same thing!

3. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to do what you love everyday. Or at least 4-5 days a week! (Make your goals attainable!) I know every single day is not always realistic as we all live such hectic busy lives. But it's easy to just go on your phone and scroll through social media after a long day. What has made you feel fulfilled in the past? For me, I love illustrating, writing and listening to music. I can't believe the difference I feel when I actually find a little time to do it almost everyday. I tried waking up earlier today to make some art, however my 2 year old daughter was up 10 minutes after looking for me! Apparently it was not early enough!!

4. Start paying attention to the thoughts in your head. Take a few minutes every day to replay and write down thoughts every day. Are they negative? Self defeating? Or are they mostly positive? Sometimes we do not realize the negative thoughts we think about until we see them on paper. If they are more negative than positive, now is the time to start shifting your thoughts around! The first step is to realize it's happening!

5. Stop comparing yourself to others. I have learned throughout my life that jealousy is a real thing, however I have also learned that everyone has their own struggles, hardships and insecurities they deal with. My friends, family, my clients have all shared with me that they often feel badly about how others are doing and compare themselves to people who are "ahead of them". Let me tell you, remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Maybe you are struggling with something in your life that a friend is not struggling with, but they are struggling elsewhere. Count your blessings !