One of the first things people will tell you to avoid when writing New Years resolutions is setting goals that you know are unattainable. Instead, if you want to ensure a successful start to 2022 you should focus on creating specific and reasonable goals that you know are possible for you to complete.  That way, instead of feeling defeated from the start, you can have an end view in sight and feel ready for the challenges that are to come in this new year.

One top recommendation for a New Years resolution is to take time for yourself. Self care is an important key to having a fresh start. Making a change to your outwards appearance, like cutting or dying your hair, can help provoke a fresh start; however, the most important part is how you are feeling on the inside. If you can’t appreciate yourself and how incredible you are, you will start off the New Year with a negative mindset that will affect not only your mood, but how you treat others.

So, before you start worrying about how you are going to get a gym membership and start working out consistently, make sure you have the right intentions in doing so. Don’t think: I have to work out every single day or else the world is going to end. Think: I really want to feel stronger and healthier for myself and my own goals, not the goals of others.

In The Five Minute Journal, the authors explain that the simplest way to start you day happier is to focus on being more mindful about the positive aspects of your life. Shifting your mind to a state of optimism will elevate you to a more jubilant and grateful version of yourself.

One of the best parts of this journal is the daily affirmation that is found in every entry. A daily affirmation is simply a positive statement that can help overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. It is a phrase that you say to yourself in the morning, and can continue to say throughout the day when you start doubting yourself and your capabilities.

This kind of daily habit allows you to enter the New Year with your mind feeling neat and organized, removing any unnecessary clutter that you may be thinking about in your life will helps move you towards a more positive and appreciative mindset.

Starting off the New Year right can help set the tone for the rest of the year, so let’s put the last two years behind us and have an amazing start to 2022!