2020 is coming up fast, and for many that signifies the start of a new chapter. This decade is ending, and there are many things we would like to leave here. For example, fidget spinners, perhaps intense clickbait journalism, or the rise of brands acting like ‘normal people’ on sites such as Twitter are all things that we hope are left behind, but that could in itself be wishful thinking. That being said, there are also many things we will remember with fondness when looking back at this decade, such as times spent with family and love shared by all.
So, 2020 is on the way. Almost every lifestyle blog is posting guide after guide suggesting that you make this decade the best one yet, or at least making the next year a perfect time to launch yourself into the new chapter. Sure, that’s a worthwhile goal to have. But how can we prepare ourselves for this? How can we pivot our position to ensure that we actually do try and squeeze the most out of it, rather than simply talking about it? Surely that would be a better use of our time?
After all, perhaps the last, most perfect memory of this decade is to remember the work you put in to care for your future self. That in itself may give you cause to smile.
Subscribing To Services
It just might be that subscribing to the services you need to enjoy a healthy launch into the new year with care can be important. By this we mean joining a yoga club, or perhaps joining the local 24 hour gym, or even beginning a subscription for a local meal delivery service to help you keep your diet in check. When you have everything in place ready for your powerful new approach, you can feel truly engaged and attentive.
Addressing Your Faults
We’re all aware of new years resolutions and how fickle they can be. Has anyone managed to keep up a new years resolution past March? Perhaps, but it’s extremely rare to hear of them being mentioned past that point, and even by then they can feel a little long in the tooth. There’s a reason as to why they can feel a little hollow, of course. That’s because it’s easy to say something we wish to improve, but harder to actually see why we have those bad habits in the first place.
Addressing your faults can be greatly helped by the use of a milestone, because this ‘clean break’ can help us distance ourselves from the habits of the past and instead focus on building something new. For example, instead of suggesting that you’ll never drink again past the new decade, why not sign up for a local support group to keep you on the wagon and to introduce yourself to a new community days after the new year begins? The excitement that comes with a new beginning can help you measure your progress more conclusively, and will also help you start the new part of your life that you may have been dreaming of for so long.
One way we try to help with this is our Casual Resolutions Kit that we put out each year. It typically comes out the end of December and is a no stress way to set some goals. The kit is a free printable! See the link (just below) to view last years version. Subscribe in the sidebar to be notified of future posts!
Casual Resolutions Goal Setting Kit 2019 : Create A Life You Love
Celebrating Your Strengths
We would recommend that whenever addressing your faults, you never do so without the additional aim of celebrating your strengths. It is extremely easy to enter a self-critical state where every decision you have made is somehow wrong or misinformed, and this can shred your self-confidence. That’s not the thought process you need when entering into the new life chapter marked by the new decade, and so while humility is needed, a little respect for yourself can also be very important to foster.
What have you done in the last ten years that you’re proud of? Have you made many new friends? Have you enjoyed a better sense of yourself? Have you managed to reconnect with your family, or perhaps did you start that business venture you were longing for, for some time? In ten years there has been something you are proud of, and if you do not think there is, you’re not looking hard enough.
Consider this time of reflection as your permission to celebrate your strengths. You likely deserve that internal encouraging word more than you know, and this can put the smile on your face necessary to combat the challenges and changes of the new upcoming decade.
Preparing For Something Wonderful
If you have something special coming up in the next year, say a wedding or large family event, it can be nice to prepare for that now so you needn’t worry so much about the final preparation as the year passes. For example, save the date postcards are a perfect way of showing someone that they are invited to your upcoming wedding or special event, and where that date may roughly fall.
At this time of year, you can be sure that family news, or news from a friend like this can be taken with great cheers and celebration, and sometimes allowing yourself to get a little excited can provide you with all the motivation you need to jump into the new year with enthusiasm. Don’t say we rarely ask you to have fun!
Taking The Time To Connect
It can be nice to connect with those around you, or those surrounding you in life, particularly if you rarely make a habit of doing so. Maybe you’ve been living next door to some new neighbors for a few months, and you’ve yet to actually meet due to your tendencies to work overtime.
It might be that knocking on their door and inviting them over for BBQ, or simply offering them a Christmas decoration in goodwill, or having a quick chat and wishing them well can help you make a connection you did not have before. Part of turning over a new leaf often means becoming a little more friendly. In a recent study of cities, only 20% of those surveyed felt any kind of connection to their neighbor. Perhaps in built-up areas this is more the case, but it shouldn’t prevent you from ignoring whatever statistics say and taking the time to get out there and say hello. Who knows just what friendships or pleasant experience this could lead to?
Let Bygones Be Bygones
No matter what you think of religion, or if you care about those values at Christmas time, or you are sure to write Xmas instead of referring to the inherent religiosity of this time-honored holiday, it’s hard to deny that some of the Christ-like values aren’t worthwhile to keep before the end of the year.
One of these is forgiveness, which can be one of the most valuable measures of worth you could ever practice. Perhaps, in the last ten years, you have encountered conflict. Maybe you have even made a few enemies. Perhaps you’ve fallen out with your neighbor over how loud his television was. Perhaps you’ve cut yourself off from a toxic family member. Maybe you’ve not had the best time following your divorce that took place five years ago.
Of course, these issues can hurt, and they may still leave a scar. However, it’s important to remember that forgiveness is not solely a benefit for the person being forgiven. In fact, what’s rarely spoken of is that forgiveness is a much more powerful process for those taking part in it. When you forgive, a weight leaves your shoulders. You have closure. Even if you do not contact the person any longer, or do not transmit this forgiveness through communication, allowing this to take place in your heart can help you move to the new decade with a deepened sense of caring for yourself. That can be incredibly special. It can be very moving. And more than anything, it can leave the activity of this decade within this decade. Sometimes, that’s all you need to breathe a sigh of relief.
Pat Yourself On The Back
Hey – you made it through another decade! That’s not always so easy. We may think that in life we are guaranteed a certain path through things, but none of us are really. Life can be unpredictable. We make the best of what we have, and from there we try to grow. Additionally, life isn’t a bar graph that’s continually going upwards, getting better and better. We go through tough periods. We struggle sometimes. We can also enjoy ourselves and experience fantastic moments. It’s only in reflection that we can appreciate this roller coaster called life that we’re all on, and sometimes, patting yourself on the back is the best way to cap off a decade such as this.
No matter your mistakes, your worries, your goals left unfinished or completed, or the lessons you’ve learned the easy or the hard way, you’ve made it through another ten years. That’s got to be worth something! Sometimes, reminding yourself of that can help you move into the new decade with a smile on your face.
And that smile on your face is something we hope you definitely have after considering the advice in this article. We wish you nothing but the best for the next ten years!
