It has come to that time of year where everyone is planning on change. The New Year can bring about a new optimism for some, as they look forward to what the next twelve months will bring. While you participate in a well-earned indulgence after a year of hard work, it is good to keep in mind how to make next year even more successful than this one.
Personal growth is an integral part of being happy. It can be all too easy to fall into a routine of the mundane and getting lost along the way. One of the best ways to avoid doing this is to take a good look at your achievements over the past year, and seeing what you could have done better. While things might be all peachy and content at work, focusing on how you can improve yourself will only bring greater joy.
There are so many different ways to engage in personal growth, and the opportunities available to us nowadays has only made such growth easier to accomplish. In particular, with the ever forward striding advancements in technology, it would be almost irresponsible not to take advantage of the host of options accessible in the modern world that can be utilised in your favour.
HEALTH
It’s the same every year, isn’t it? ‘This will be the year I get a gym membership / run a marathon / climb a mountain / etc. etc. etc.’ But how often do these plans of a healthier life continue throughout the year? Not very often, it seems.
And that’s understandable, life and work and family and friends all get in the way, sometimes, and it can be hard to keep up motivation, particularly if you struggle to see any immediate results.
But thankfully, there are solutions. And with all that fancy new tech on the market, improving your health has never been easier. Fitness apps have exploded this past year, and now more people than ever are using them to track their weight loss and general health. There are so many on the market, some of which being free that there is bound to be one to suit you, and allow you to shed all that pesky holiday weight.
If you’re one of the many who have tried – and failed – to quit smoking, there are options. The rise of vaping over the past year may have brought about a bit of a backlash; there is still evidence that demonstrates that vaping is a healthy alternative to smoking.
For those who want to quit, but perhaps don’t believe you can buck the habit immediately, vaping can work as a stop-gap between entirely quitting. By being able to choose different levels of nicotine, websites such as https://www.vapeshop.co.uk/ offer a wide variety of solutions for helping you (or someone you know) start on working towards a healthier life.
CREATIVITY
With the new year comes new inspirations, perhaps this will be the year that you finally get started on your novel. But, if you’re a total rookie, this can be hard to accomplish. Further to that, finding the time to sit down can be difficult, and it is all too easy to get distracted by anything else around you.
But, it need not be like that. In the past, creatives disciplined themselves to continue to work on their projects despite working hard all day, but they didn’t have the distractions of the modern world. As much as tech can lead to these distractions, it can also assist in setting you on your way.
Today, smartphones are little computers that we carry around in our pockets and can be used as such, particularly when planning. In the past, there was a need to have a pen and paper on hand if you were to make notes, but now, apps such as Evernote, or even just your phone’s default Notes feature, allow you to write anything down at any time. While it might seem slow going at first, getting into the habit of making notes as soon as an idea pops into your head will quickly blossom surprising results.
And even if writing isn’t your thing, getting more creative can be achieved in just ten minutes. This can assist with pitching ideas at the office, to simply using art to unwind and relax at the end of the day. If you don’t have any art supplies, don’t worry, as always there’s an app for that.
EXPERIENCES
So you’ve worked and worked and worked, but you’ve realised that you’ve gotten into this habit of not doing anything. The working week can get you down, exhausted and feeling like you just want to put your feet up at the weekend.
But it’s a big world out there, and it seems a waste to not see as much as possible, local or further flung. The problem is, though, that there are so many things to see and do that it can be difficult to settle on just one.
It doesn’t have to be like that, of course. You have the whole year ahead of you, and it’s time to take advantage. One way of doing it is to dedicate time each week or month – depending on how hectic your life is – to experience something different. There are some great apps available to help you discover something new either in your own backyard or on the other side of the world.
If you’re not the type to go exploring, new experiences can be made at home, too. This can be a simple as learning a new skill that will be sure to get you out of a tight spot in the future such as DIY, including projects that you can work towards. One of the most popular side-quests that people undertake is learning to code, which can be done either on the go or at home. With the ever-rising world of machines, coding skills, in particular, could come in handy in the future.
Once you’ve chosen something to work on to achieve self-improvement, you need to decide why you are doing it. Having a purpose behind your initiatives will help give you the drive to see it through to the end. This can be for you, for your spouse, for your kids, or even for a friend. Should you find yourself struggling, find advice to help you along the way, and allow yourself to be held accountable. Without proper dedication, there is no chance of seeing any improvement.
But, it is also wise to be realistic about your goals. If you’ve always struggled with staying fit, pick a level of success that you will be happy with, and anything more is a bonus. If you’ve never written before, merely getting words on a page is an achievement in itself. Don’t imagine fantasies of worldwide publication and fame. If you want to experience more, there’s no need to break the bank and search for a jungle; you don’t need to leave home to try something new.
Whatever way you might choose to embark on a voyage of self-improvement and personal growth over the coming year, it is vital not to get discouraged. Not everything will be for you, and that’s okay. But don’t let one struggle or one bad experience interfere with the person that you want to be, come this time next year. It is difficult to get going at first, and above all, success is only achieved through hard work and dedication. So what are you waiting for?
