It’s Not Just Another Year

The mid-night firework at the City Hall Olympic Plaza waved farewell to 2016, opening another page by bringing 2017 to our sight. Happy New Year to everyone!

January 1st of each year is a day when everything starts from fresh, the day when you can reset yourself and let go of the past, the day you can let loose and just do things you enjoy.

Will 2017 just be a year like any other year? During the last month of 2016, New Year resolution posts flooded Facebook and other social media. This is almost a ritual towards the end of each year: people are busy at setting goals to prepare for the year ahead of them. It’s believed that goal setting towards the end of each year would bring successes in the incoming year.

It’s true: goal setting indeed helps us plan ahead of the time. But why do we need New Year resolutions to achieve that purpose? What about consistent goal setting throughout the year?

Goal setting is an on-going process. We do not need to wait till the end of each year to do it. Each day, week and month, we can set small goals to get closer to our milestones.

Long- term and short-term goals are correlated to each other. For instance, if you wish to improve your body images, health, public speaking or writing skills, you can construct a daily routine supporting you to accomplish these long-term goals. Likewise, you can set weekly goals to keep your life in check. In the beginning of each week, I often outline a list of things to be completed over the course of the week. This would give me an idea of what I’ve done by the end of the week as well as what’s left undone.

Therefore, to make your year meaningful, the first point is to set goals throughout the year, big and small, not only the New Year resolutions. New year resolutions should be part of the year around goal setting.

Secondly, spare time to self-reflect. We all grew up in the ‘more is better’ society, so reflection is not usually brought up as part of the value pack. When we do get busy and don’t have time everyday to reflect, at least we should make time to do so once a month at minimum. Self- Reflection allows you to disgust the lessons learned from daily life, as well as know yourself better. Since the onset of December last year, I started to reflect what I learned and my feelings on a daily basis. I typed them down on an excel sheet.

Don’t undermine this ‘thinking time’. It works the same way as ‘stretching’ in workout: something seems so minor but very critical to the overall.

When being asked about ‘how was your day or year’, some would respond: “today is just another day. This/ last year is/ was just another year.” If this is what you truly feel inside, you certainly don’t have to feel this way. If you reflect upon your life on a regular basis, you would have more to add to your answer. The other part of self- reflection is to summarize what you’ve accomplished at the end of each year (each month ideally). Feeling nothing special about your days and years is an autopilot reaction. Even though you and accomplishments at certain point of the year, your mind tend to normalize them or they simply get washed off by other priorities coming into your busy life. Writing down what you’ve done throughout the year allows you to recognize your achievements.

It also helps you to be better at realizing your own growth, as well as to promote future self-development.

Thirdly, live the moment. I’m also writing this down for myself to remember. “Life is not a sprint but a marathon. Pace yourself.” a friend of mine once said. When you are enjoying great food with your family and loved ones, or even by yourself, only think about the food and live in that moment. Don’t think what’s next. Because life is an on-going process of what’s next. We will have enough of it till we hit the end point. Don’t spend all your life worrying about the future but learn to live the moment.

Forth, always make time for things you like. Do things that make your happy. You are living a life, not on a constant roller coaster of the next or a mission of conquering the world. Enjoy yourself when you can, so you don’t have any regret in your deathbed. In addition, follow your heart. Once in a while, break the rules called normality, be different and less rational if your heart is calling for something you desire, don’t think too much but follow your intuitions. As long as you enjoy the moment, it will be all good in the end because there won’t be a question starting by “what if”.

Be positive is the fifth point. Since March last year, my biological clock changed a lot to the point where it disrupted my regular lifestyle and routines. I felt my days are shrinking because I’ve been having hard time staying on my regular sleeping schedule. As a disciplined person who used to have hard time taking a day off from workout in the gym, this certainly bothered me a lot. However, I believe that everything happens for a reason. This experience has taught me always look at the brighter side of everything. Instead of cursing my sleeping cycle disruption that lead to a shorter daytime and prolong nighttime, I ask this question instead: “for the day light has left for the day, what I can still accomplish before it hit 5 pm?” When you think you can barely accomplish what you want, don’t fret but ask yourself this instead: “what I can still achieve for the time remaining?” Improvement is an on-going process; so don’t be too hard on yourself. Same applied to people, always look at the brighter side of each person. It’s true that we don’t like everyone on this planet. However, each individual has different things to offer. Treat everyone like a teacher whom you can learn great things from.

Lastly but not least, be your unique self. There is nothing to be more harmful when you try to be or become someone else. I learned this lesson in a hard way. In general, we are all unique individuals, and that’s why the cookie cutter education system doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why some self-made entrepreneurs are some university dropouts.

Admit or not, we’ve all been there before: when you admire someone who excel you in certain aspects, you hope to copy his or her habits in order to be at the same intelligent level. Unfortunately, this usually doesn’t work out well. Likely, you will end up with stressing yourself out without getting anywhere closer. Instead, discover your talents and find the shortcut to your own success. Learn to combine your academic knowledge from school, your passions, and what you truly good at. The combination is equal to your success. You don’t have to become someone else in order to be successful.

Here is a secret that we rarely know: when you think someone is great, do you know what that person secretly desires the talents you have but he or she just lack of? It’s because we couldn’t the greatness from ourselves. It’s because we get too used to admire others but lack of self-recognition. That is to say, we are overall equally awesome after being averaged out, and there is nothing called better or superior. To certain extend, we are the same way: normal beings.

Bring it all together:

1. Set goals throughout the year

2. Spare time to self-reflect

3. Live the moment

4. Always make time for things you like

5. Be positive

6. Be your unique self.

Hope these tips help you to make 2017 a spectacular year. Let me know what are the things that will make your 2017 a great year. I enjoy learning from you as much as enjoying writing this article for you.