5 Mindsets for a New Year

Contrary to the actions of my right arm, which is currently elbow deep in a bag of Haribos, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about how I can make 2017 top notch. The first roadblock to this endeavor was that I hate New Year’s Resolutions, a lot, because:

• I don’t like lying, especially to myself. Accept it, I’m not going to magically start going to the gym everyday.
• Resolutions are the unicorns of goals. You pick the BIGGEST thing you did wrong the year before and expect it to disappear on January 1^st.
• Life without McDonald’s, lazy days on the couch, or champagne happy hours*** is a life not worth living!

***If you’re doing “Dry January”, I believe in you! That started and ended for me at about 10AM on New Year’s Day. But YOU GO GIRL (or boy)!

Thus, resolutions were a bust. BUT, that didn’t mean I’m not dedicated to becoming the best me in 2017. Instead of resolutions that end with a yes or no, in or out, success or fail, I’m going to let the mindsets below guide my decisions during the next year, to help me make decisions I will be proud of and that will bring me happiness on the reg.

Value Experiences, Not Things

I touched on this in our lessons learned from traveling blog post, but the longer we are home the more important I think this mindset is. Valuing our worth through the things we have is a dangerous game full of negativity. “Valuing experiences not things” will guide me as I establish new friendships and navigate old. This mindset will remind me to check-in on hobbies and interests, support friends through both highs and lows, and encourage new adventures over conversations about job status, lifestyle image, or gossip.

In action:

-When I meet someone, I will ask what they are interested in and what they do in their free time instead of what their job is or what neighborhood they live in.

-When I meet a friend for drinks, I will ask about what they have been most excited about since we last saw each other instead of venting about past problems.

-When I reward myself (or others), I will seek out experiences like travel, hiking, or trying a new restaurant instead of a new purse or piece of jewelry.

-I will value my relationships with the people in my life based on quality time, shared adventures, and mutual respect, instead of by the gifts given to one another.

Empower My People

Hey coach! Send me a sub, I’m quitting the game of comparisons! Every day is filled with comparisons: through social media, the things we own or don’t own, weight, job, happiness. When we left on our trip, we left the world of comparisons (because we had no things) behind and I’m not planning on going back. I am prepared to remind myself daily to bust into the world proud of myself and those around me. This mindset will encourage me to always empower my people. As they say, it’s time to compliment, not compare. Let’s take some time to give a champagne toast to all our peeps!

In action:

-I will not only encourage my friends to reach their personal and professional goals, I will also do anything I can to help them along the way.

-I will find ways to support friends through their ups and downs rather than discussing their struggles with others.

-I will show love through phone calls, texts, compliments, encouragement, likes, and comments.

-I will not view other’s failures as my successes.

No Second Guessing

Will all the people pleasers and perfectionists out there raise their hands? I’m one too! When I spend my day worrying about making everyone happy while also doing every task perfectly, I end up spending my day second-guessing everything. Second-guessing is the kryptonite to growth and creativity. When you’re perfect, you won’t let yourself fail… if you don’t fail, you won’t grow… if you don’t grow, you won’t try new things… and if you never try new things, your creativity dies. Ugh, that’s exhausting! Thus, I am done with that second guessing BS! I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone, try new things, fail at a few, challenge myself, and have a little bit of fun with life. 

In action:

-I will establish positive affirmations to replace negative thoughts.

-I will pursue careers that will take me out of my comfort zone.

-I will remind myself and my people to take chances and believe in themselves.

Treat Myself

I don’t always let Justin Bieber guide my life, but ya gotta learn to “Love Yourself!” I can show myself some love by consciously making decisions to treat myself. Don’t put your biggest fan, YOU, on the back burner. 2017 looks like as good of a time as any to rejuvenate, laugh, rest, learn, and explore!

In action:

-I will find a new hobby and accept invitations to learn new skills.

-I will make decisions that will help my body (get a few extra hours of sleep, hit the gym here and there, drink extra water).

-I will say no and value “me” time.

-I will carve out time once a week to do something I love.

-I will surround myself with people who make me feel happiest.

Find Happy Every Day

Life is hard. Life is messy. Life is a puzzle. Do you have life figured out? I sure don’t, but the most important parts of my life are my family, my friends, my job, and my feelings. If those things aren’t making you happy then it’s time to switch it up! Remember – no second-guessing. If one of the major parts of life is bringing me down, I need to be confident enough to admit it and do something about it. I’m not only my biggest fan, I’m also my biggest advocate. No one is going to make me happy but myself so, in 2017, I’ll be pretty busy finding all kinds of happy!

In action:

-I will seek a career allows me to create, engage, and collaborate (no more dreading work!). Also, if you know someone hiring, hit me up! wink wink, nudge nudge.

-I will laugh out loud.

-I will surround myself with people who build each other up.

-I will replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations.

What will your 2017 mindsets be?!