2015 Is Coming! Are You Ready?
Get a jump start on 2015 and plan on how you are going to make it count. Here are some suggestions from someone that is a mentor to me, Dr. Rob Jackson on how you can accomplish this by starting now instead of waiting for the new year to arrive.
1. Take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror.........naked. For some of us this is a terrifying idea, while others of us seem to do that for hours on end already. Either way, take a good hard look and make an inventory of what you see that you like and things that you don't like but can change. Some things are God given and we can't change them no matter what we do like our height, but if you are carrying an extra 15 or 20 lbs around your mid section, or if it is trailing behind you, that is something that you can clearly change if you want to.
2. Take an inventory of your daily activities and how much time you spend doing each one of them. How much time do you actually spend in front of the TV watching things that are not helping you in any way, let alone helping you become more successful? Are there things that are missing from your daily schedule that you want or need to add in and if so, where can you add them or what do you need to eliminate or replace to put good things in your daily routine instead?
3. How is this year going right now in comparison to last year? Are you ahead of where you were last year, or are you behind? Look at the actual numbers, not at guess work and determine now where you are. This can help you focus your remaining two weeks of the year and this can give you a huge advantage compared to your competition. Do you think that retailers waited until the day after Thanksgiving to begin planning their Christmas sales or inventory needs? They started buying and planning for that at least 6 months ago. Follow that strategy and start making plans for next year starting today!
4. Plan some of your holidays or time off for next year now. This can give you something to look forward to during the difficult times that may be coming and it can help you make it through some of the post holiday depression that seems to affect so many once the holiday season is over and all that is left is the debt and clean up.
5. Come up with your goals for next year starting now and share them with your co-workers, family and friends. Create some accountability and then make the plans necessary to actually live up to those goals, instead of giving up on them after your first week of hard work in the new year. Starting on that now can help you get past those first two weeks of change that are so hard for many of us and by the time the new year gets here you will have already started creating habits that you can stick with instead of giving up like so many others do.
6. Make sure you include some form or level of exercise in your daily routine starting now. With the holidays coming the opportunity for over eating or for eating more of things that are not necessarily good for us increases, so add the exercise in now to help offset any negative affects of enjoying the season.
Exercise can help you achieve more of the items listed above. It can help you focus better, it can help you have more energy to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself, it can help you wake earlier so you can get more done in your day, it can give you time for spiritual reflection while you are working out and it can help slow down or negate some of the effects of aging. With all that in mind, make sure you add some (at least 15 minutes a day) to your routine and stick to it so you can change your bottom line for next year for the better.
Summary of the plan:
1. Look at yourself in the mirror.......naked!
2. Honestly inventory what you see that you like and things that you don't like that you CAN change
3. Inventory your daily activities and list the time you spend doing each one of them
4. Make a list of items that you want to add or replace with items that you want to or need to do instead
5. Compare this year to last year using actual numbers and find out if you are increasing or behind where you were at year end last year
6. Get a jump start on the new year by planning now and then put your plans in place before your competition does
7. Plan some of your holidays or time off for next year now.
8. Come up with your goals for next year this week and share them with co-workers, family and friends now, creating accountability
9. Make sure to include or add some exercise (at least 15 minutes) into your daily routine starting now if you aren't already.
10. Invest wisely in the holidays and in the holiday spirit and enjoy them now and in the months following.
HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2015
Watching Your Back,
"Your Health Coach,"
Dr. Ross Coccimiglio