So, it’s a new year, which also means it’s time for the new year’s resolutions to come back into people’s lives. Or as I prefer to call them, new year habits.
A while ago now, I wrote an article explaining how people should ditch the idea of starting new year’s resolutions and focus on building habits. I still stand by this idea today and in the last post I explained how to stick to these habits.
In this post I want to focus on what specific new year habits you could adopt to your life. These habits are a personal pick of mine so forgive me if you think they are useless to your life but I do think they will benefit you immensely.
If you read my blog you probably have a fair idea of the type of things I’m interested in. It usually falls into the category of self-improvement, lifestyle, travel and digital marketing. A varied range I know, but having this scope of interests keeps me excited about creating new content.
Some of these new year habits that I mention might also be your predictable run of the mill answers. The way I think of things like this is that if some of the same answers keep popping up again and again there is usually a reason for that.
Because they work and are tried and tested.
But, since I’m such a nice guy, I’m going to give my reasoning as to why I feel these habits should be adopted into your lives. I’ll also be totally transparent and tell you if I personally do these myself. I do believe in ‘practising what you preach’ but I am also a normal fella who could do with a few more useful habits in his life also. The aim is to get people thinking about these things and hopefully inspire them to take action.
Lets get started shall we.
1. Consume more Knowledge
The reason I say consume more knowledge instead of saying something like ‘read more’, is because if I had done that then you may have just skipped over the section entirely.
‘You should read more’.
‘Reading is great for your mind’.
You hear these phrases all the time don’t you?
And for those people out there who don’t read and probably don’t intend to read, these statements can get annoying.
I know reading is probably on a lot of peoples new year’s resolutions this year and I also know if that’s the case, then you have probably given up already.
Just hear me out for a minute.
I was never a big reader and I always thought books were boring. I actually never read a full book in my life until I was in my early 20’s. Now I read almost every single day and love doing so. It has been a huge benefit to my life.
How?
Well firstly, I’m able to have some great conversations with others who have read the same books as me. Just like when you go to watch a movie and you talk to your friends and colleagues about it. I feel you can talk for even longer when it comes to books! There is so much detail and thought that goes into it.
Secondly, as a result of reading so many different books, I find that I am starting to think differently. It’s hard to explain really but there are studies out there that indicate that reading changes your brain. I am still the same person, but sometimes you may read something that resonates with you completely , which makes you start to think about things differently.
I think this is a sign of growth.
Or maybe I’m talking complete bollocks but just try it out for yourselves I guess.
My top tips would be to start small and read three pages a day or listen to some audio books if you don’t have the confidence to pick up a paper version just yet. I love a good audio book.
2. Upskill yourself
Learning new skills and sharpening your current skillset really is priceless. It can not only help you in your personal life but also your professional life. Think of the current job you are in at the moment? It doesn’t matter what industry it is, you need a certain amount of skill to do your job.
Okay so a brain surgeon might differ greatly in skill to a bartender for instance. I think that is obvious. What’s not obvious is that you can upskill yourself to be the best bartender about. Learn how to communicate better with customers, why not try and do that juggling thing with the bottles of vodka behind the bar? Maybe you could learn how to make new and exciting cocktails that blow customers away. The list is endless!
Maybe I should get into the bar game?
No… I’m a better writer, it’s obvious isn’t it?
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that you can always learn a new skill that is going to give you that edge over others. An extra 1% in your overall effort could be all it takes to stand out from the crowd. Just find that skill that will help you do so.
“There is a value in doing things that scare you, and it’s up to you and only you to extract this value for all it’s worth”
3. Do more things that Scare you
Easier said than done.
I try to have an open mind when it comes to most things but I always feel that anytime I have pushed out of my comfort zone I’ve rarely ever regretted it. In fact, I genuinely feel it’s helped me grow and develop as a person.
Last year I wrote a blog post on facing your fears, where I talk about getting out of your comfort zone and helpful tips on how you can face your fears.
Anytime you are faced with a challenging situation just ask yourself “What’s the worse that can happen?”. Asking this simple question can help you gain some perspective on the situation and push through. There is a value in doing things that scare you, and it’s up to you and only you to extract this value for all its worth.
This quote from Eleanor Roosevelt explains the message I am trying to get across perfectly:
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
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