LIFESTYLE 4- DON’T SET YOURSELF UP FOR DISAPPOINTMENT Set your sights high, but within reason. 2020 and 2021 were both years of outright heartache for a lot of people and for some the pandemic aftershocks are still shaking the ground around them. Aside from being realistic in your goals, you should also be prepared for your initial plans to take detours at times. The past two years helped us understand that many things are not entirely under our control. You may need to be quick on your feet to remedy the unpredictables and salvage your resolutions. Give your New Year’s goals something to really hold on to in case something happens. Obviously, you can’t come up with a thousand contingencies; just remember that when you’re making plans we don’t have the luxury of taking things for granted. If a challenge comes up, you’ll deal with it more easily if you accept that nothing can be 100% set in stone.
5. SCHEDULE YOUR HOUR OF POWER Have time for yourself, before you deal with anything or anyone else. And this includes anyone else texting you, emails, social media, and so forth. Your morning Hour of Power is what will set the tone and ultimately the outcome for your day. This is the time when you sit in a quiet place in your home, away from distractions of any kind. If your significant other or children will be around, get up an hour earlier, and secure your sacred time. Let everyone at home know that this is your time, and it needs to be respected. What do you do and what is it to be gained with this incredible ritual? Well, it will depend on your preferences. In my case, I use this time to read (actually study) my Bible and talk to God. I make it a point not to talk to anyone before I talk to God. For me, he must be #1, and I seek knowledge, wisdom, and guidance while reading the Bible. And I seal this hour with a conversation with him where I thank him for all his goodness, for my family, my children, my health, my mind, my creativity, my work, among many other things. This alone makes me not only be grateful but also appreciate how much I've been blessed and how wealthy I am. Counting your blessings, and being thankful is crucial to make you see that you are well-positioned for even greater levels of success in all areas of your life. Even if you don't believe there is a God watching over you, you should reflect, read, learn and grow in some way during this powerful time. Reflect over your challenges, your failures, but always keep in mind that no matter how great yesterday's failure was, today is a new day, and you have a brand new opportunity to do great things. Your past successes should come to mind Focus on how great you did in the past, and get ready to do it again. This is the time to also plan your day. At the end of this hour, you have a roadmap for this day, and that roadmap should always guide you towards accomplishing your mid and long-term goals. You shouldn't do anything that is not 100% supportive of your goals.
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6. PRORITIZE YOUR HEALTH We all are different, different ages, gender, health conditions, goals, etc. But we all come to an agreement: our health plays the most basic role in our quality of life. Taking control of your health may require covering several areas, like the way you eat, the way you exercise, and the way you rest -to name a few-. What you eat plays a critical role in your health, weight, your mind, your self-esteem, your performance, your happiness, and much more. You are what you eat, literally. So it's entirely up to you to decide how you will handle your eating habits. At this point, I think it's unnecessary to tell you that refined sugars are bad for you and will make you gain weight, or that eating heavily right before you go to bed at night is unhealthy, or that eating vegetables and fruits should always be an important part of your diet. You know all these things. Now the question is, what are you going to do with this knowledge? We both know the answer if you want to be your best you. Exercising is another key component you should bring into your weekly routine. Three days a week at a minimum will pay you great rewards. Do intervals between cardio and workout. Don't do both on the same day. Your body needs time to recuperate and give you back the results you want. Sleep well. People are killing themselves and their brain functions by stealing from the number of hours of rest they need. The number of hours you naturally sleep when you don't wake up with your alarm, that is the amount of rest your body and mind need. Make adjustments to support that need, and go to bed at a time that will allow you to accomplish that. Drink lots of water, and natural juice direct from fruits. Nothing can compare to water. Our brain feeds from it, and so does our body. Make the firmest decision to stop drinking sodas and artificially flavored drinks. There are nothing, "0" nutrients there for you, and a big deal of harmful sweeteners and chemicals.
7. DEVELOP THE HABIT OF TURNING "DEAD TIME" INTO A PRODUCTIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY Learning new things every day makes you smarter, and more successful. You can convert your "dead-time" while you drive into a great learning opportunity by listening to whatever will give you the opportunity to grow in any given area. I used to listen to music or the news, and I still do on short drives, but when I know I'll be sitting in the car for at least 30 minutes, I use that time to learn and grow. Even if you think you don't have anything in mind to learn at this time, at the very minimum listen to speakers that can teach you how to develop yourself. Examples are Tony Robbins, Eric Thomas, Jay Abraham, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, to name a few of several speakers that will empower you with real-life advice. I hope this will help you get on track to a great 2022, and enjoy noticing the progress in your lifestyle and accomplishments. The rewards will be worth any effort you put into it.