It’s my favorite time of year. Not because of the holidays, although those are nice. Not because of the gifts, although those are nice, too. I enjoy the end of the year because it means a new year is about to begin. To lots of people, the New Year represents a fresh slate and a new beginning. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for a happy new you.
1. How many opportunities do you need?
Every one of us has 365 opportunities in a calendar year. They come to us every 24 hours. Each new day offers new choices about how to handle our time, our attitudes, our health and how we use information.
The problem with opportunity is that it’s seldom convenient. Old habits and routines are typically not very friendly to new options. Routines, in fact usually become grooves and grooves often become ruts.
That’s why November reminds most of us of October. We tend to repeat the same experiences rather than try new ones.
2. How we use time determines our happiness.
Attorneys are obsessed with something they refer to as “billable hours.” I know an attorney who tracks his time in six-minute increments. Time is our most valuable resource. Use the New Year as an excuse to better monitor your time.
Do you know what your time worth? You can calculate your “hourly rate” by dividing your annual salary by 2,000 hours. If you make $20 dollars an hour during the workweek, you might decide that your weekend hours are even more valuable.
Knowing your hourly rate might help you make better decisions about how to spend your time.
3. How we feel about time determines how we use it.
Self-improvement is predicated on optimism and a positive outlook. People with poor self-concepts usually don’t have much hope that things can be better. They develop a fatalistic approach to life because they view themselves as powerless.
If you never thought you could learn a foreign language, for example, you would be a lot less likely to try.
4. Prevent stress with a five-minute investment.
You’ll get a double and triple dip when combining these cool ideas. For example, you can easily treat the new day like a fresh opportunity by using time more wisely to solve a seemingly intractable problem.
For example, let’s say you have a high level of stress that manifests itself as pain in your shoulder blades.
Use the first five minutes of every day to be pro-active about stress. Muscle tension occurs when there is a lack of blood flow. Stretch for five minutes first thing in the morning to flush your muscle tissue with oxygen. Your shoulders will thank you around 4 p.m.
5. You are what you read.
The best way to handle the information deluge is to get with the program. Avoid junk reading like you should avoid junk food. I’ve read 38 books this year, mostly non-fiction and self-help books. Don’t spend time reading disposable news, urban legends and junk e-mail, as this content tends to reinforce the message that you are powerless and vulnerable.
About the Author:
Michael Angelo Caruso is the author of 5 Cool Ideas book series and the FastLearnerAudio series. To receive his complimentary 5 Cool Ideas newsletter, simply send an e-mail to 5CoolIdeas@EdisonHouse.com.
