Often, when we go on a big adventure, it's good to have some friendly advice. This post is a letter to myself of things I have learned of the past year, to keep me feeling good about myself and the world around me. Sometimes when you look back on a year, it can be easier to focus on the negative things that occurred rather than your successes.
1. Don't Worry About The Small Stuff
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to help people around us, and we can sometimes get frustrated about things in life that get in the way - It's raining, my computer is broken, my family won't stop arguing, the tap's leaking - It can be any number of incredibly annoying events, that end up stressing you to no end. A friend of mine always used to say "If you are worrying and you can resolve the problem, stop worrying and do it. If you're worrying and can't do anything, then why worry."
This is obviously easier said than done. Sometimes the more we focus on the negative aspects the more they turn into an unmanageable mountain. When I'm in this situation, I need to learn to let go of the little things, and think about the bigger picture. I live in a nice home, I'm doing a job I love, I graduated from university - overall I am where I want to be, and heading down a pretty awesome path. Don't worry, whatever you are dealing with know that in time, it will come to pass (unlike the creature in the Lord of the Ring!).
2. Enjoy the Journey
On my ongoing journey to forever cross things off my
Bucket List and trying to level up my life and
"Reach Level Two", it's hard not to focus completely on the end mission of achieving your goals. Unfortunately, however sweet accomplishing that goal is, it can make you impatient to see the end results - often missing out on things around you. Although I believe it's great to have goals, needing to reach them to the point of missing out of the present would be a waste. I don't know about you, but whenever I find myself finishing one goal, I'm always looking for the next challenge. So for a good while when my goals were getting larger and larger, I got exceedingly angry with myself for not doing more. Why am I watching TV instead of working, did I not care about my dream job enough? Why had I spent money on eating out when I promised myself I was saving to travel? I convinced myself that if I wasn't 100% dedicated to scratching off the next goal, sooner, more efficiently, then I was never going to get there.
You are already on the path, and the path leads somewhere awesome. But enjoy the steps while you're taking them.
3. Look After Yourself
Looking after myself this year is pretty important to me this year, not just regarding fitness and health, but also about being happy with who I am and how I look. Looking back into 2014, I found at times my self-esteem got dangerous low, despite the successes I had. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that I was very isolated for much of the year, and ended up feeling very depressed and powerless to help myself.
2015 is my year of empowerment! I was able to fight it through those feelings, and although they still haunt me from time to time, for now they are defeated. I'm not making a strict resolution to work out x amount of times a day, or eat x amounts of fruit and veg etc. However if I can take some small steps to forming habits that lead to a healthier, happier, calmer path, i will certainly be able to be much happier.
4. Have Less
This seems almost counter-intuitive, does it not? In the process of trying to progress, achieve, travel, love and explore, it seems necessary to do that through acquiring the tools to help us. After being an avid reader of '
Zen Habits', I have been increasing persuaded by the idea of 'less'. De-cluttering my life, to streamline it for the things I hold of the greatest value. I don't need the newest phone, or upgrade, and the more I seem to own the more stress, and time is spent organising, moving, and re-arranging it all! Travelling lighter will definitely help me find the space I need to breathe and be happy in the new year.
5. Fecking GO FOR IT
Stop feeling you're inadequate. Stop making excuses you'll do it later, Stop waiting for it to happen. It takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at something, if you're worried about your skills just start improving. If you're worried about money start saving. If you want to travel, go see the world! The time is now! Carpe Diem guys! This is the year. Let's make 2015. Great. :)
These are my 5 tips for being a happier me in 2015 - give me a shout fellow bloggers, I'd love to see what you're all writing about :D
