It’s a new day and a new year…so what new years resolutions have you got planned for 2012? Will you coast along through another year and look back wondering what you’ve achieved this time next year? Or will you make sure you’ve ticked off a few more items from your bucket list?
We all have things we want to change about ourselves and now is the time to start setting goals for 2012 and losing those bad habits that make our lives difficult is a great first step.
After-all the saying goes that ‘we are what we repeatedly do’ so are you proud of your habits and the person they make you? Or would now be a good time to lose some of the bad habits to make way so you can create some more useful habits?
To get you inspired with your own list, I’ve listed my top ten habits to ditch in 2012 here:
Simple Life Strategy: 10 bad habits to lose:
- Being too serious – approach 2012 with a light attitude! Don’t take yourself too seriously! Positive psychology has shown that one of the most important routes to happiness is to try and laugh at yourself more – and not take life too seriously! So ditch the frown and employ a big belly laugh instead.
- Negative chatter – make a decision to be kinder to yourself in 2011. Remove that negative voice that often says ‘you idiot!’ or ‘I can’t believe you forgot to…’ or ‘you never learn!’. It really doesn’t help us to insult ourselves in our own heads – this just creates negativity which stops us from moving ahead
- Saying yes to everything – by being a people pleaser you are pleasing everyone but yourself! Start to value your time and don’t say yes to everything that is asked of you. Instead be selective about how you spend your time so that you have enough ‘me’ time. Your friends & family will understand and won’t hate you for saying no every once in a while!
- Procrastination – oh the sluggish feeling of procrastination! Ditch it! Next time you’re avoiding doing something, first recognize it and then JUST DO IT! And see how good you feel after. It’s often the fear of the ‘doing’ that is more unpleasant than the ‘doing’ its-self!
- Excessive drinking/eating/smoking – the new year is the perfect time to give up or cut back on bad habits. For our minds to work at their optimum level we need to be healthy! This means removing or cutting back on bad habits like smoking, over-eating and drinking
- Oversleeping – We all need good sleep – but are you getting too much sleep? Research has shown it’s actually counter-productive to over-sleep! So create some extra hours in the day by limiting your sleep to 8 hours each night
- Overspending – Xmas time can see us all spending beyond our means. But it’s good to get yourself in a healthy financial position to kick start the new year. Make a budget and try and stick to it so you never spend money you don’t have
- Getting stuck in a rut – notice if you have any ‘routines’ that you do purely out of habit – rather than for enjoyment. It’s good to break out and try new things to keep life interesting!
- Excuses – ditch the excuses! ‘It wasn’t my fault’ ‘she did it’ ‘if this hadn’t happened then I wouldn’t have..’ take responsibility for your actions and you’ll notice how empowering this can actually be. Plus you’ll gain respect from those around you.
- Naysayers – negative people are like vampires – they suck all of your good energy and leave you tired and lethargic. Distance yourself from negative people in your life – you deserve to be happy!
Why not make your own list of things you’d like to change about yourself and your life!
If you’d like some help kicking those bad habits, then contact me to arrange a coaching program; the perfect way to kick start your new year!
Know someone who could do with giving up a few bad habits? Send them this article to get them motivated for 2012!
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