Tag: reflection

Here’s to the new year!

Today is New Year’s Eve.

Recently, I’ve talked a lot about looking forward to the next year – about setting goals, overcoming new challenges, and bettering every aspect of your life to become the best version of yourself.

But as you have free time today, instead of being so future-focused, take time to reflect on the previous year. For some, 2021 has been the best year of their lives. For others, it’s been the most difficult year of their lives. But regardless of the year as a whole, look back in your calendar. I’m sure you’ll be able to find events that contributed to your happiness (like going on vacation, meeting up with friends, etc). Be grateful for the people, circumstances, and your own thoughts/attitude that allowed you to really enjoy those moments. And vow to yourself to have more of those moments this year.

So today’s plan, other than reflecting on the past year, is to ask yourself the following…What events did you do that brought you the most joy last year? Which events brought you the most stress? How can you incorporate more of the good and less of the bad into your schedule for 2022? For things that you love doing, but won’t do unless it’s planned, paid for, and on the calendar, get those scheduled now. It’s too easy to just keep going with “everyday life” and forget to have fun and live a little (especially if you’re a workaholic).

Lastly, end 2021 the right way. Be safe. Be healthy. And try not to start the first day of 2022 hungover and unable to start your goals/resolutions.

On happiness, gratitude, and perspective

Your worst day is NOT that bad. Keep that in mind whenever you feel down.

Tomorrow is a new day, a new beginning. It’s a new opportunity to do what you were supposed to do, to act how you want to act, to say what you need to say.

You have been blessed with so much in this life. Do not take it for granted. After you take a few deep breaths, reflect on what you are grateful for. Pray, if that’s what you’re into. Or meditate if you prefer. Regardless, the better you are able to frame your life/keep things in the proper perspective, the happier you’ll be.

Training like a professional

If you only work on something when you’re motivated, you’ll never achieve outstanding results. That’s what separates professionals from amateurs. Professionals deliberately practice their craft daily. They make sure that they eat, sleep, and train for optimum performance. They’ll break down film/recordings to see where they are weak or where there is an opportunity due to an opponent’s weakness, then they try to improve or exploit that weakness.

To become truly great at something, you have to practice…a lot. You can’t just do something once and then expect to become an expert. It takes studying and experience. But if you depend solely on your motivation to do the necessary work, you will never become truly elite in your field. Motivation comes and goes. You can have it for stretches, but when things start becoming difficult, motivation is often the first thing to go.

Muhammad Ali is quoted as saying, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” He knew the importance of training – of doing what he didn’t want to do so he could get to the next level. Often, it is what we are willing to do that others aren’t that being us success. Are you willing to sacrifice in the short term to get the long term results you want?

So the questions are: what do you need to be doing to bring you the success you desire? Are you deliberately training, living purposefully, and working as hard as you can? Or are you relying on motivation to get you by? Take some time today to think about your goals and figure out what you need to be doing habitually to get you there.