As we turn the final pages on the 2015 calendar and open our hearts and minds to what lies ahead in 2016, I am always filled with a deep sense of promise during this time each year. No matter the unexpected twists and turns that have occurred, that turning of the page from December to January always signals a new beginning for me. I hope it does the same for you. As you open your mind to the endless possibilities that the New Year holds, here are some tips for making it your best year yet:
Nutrition & Exercise Life’s Elixirs: These are an easy and important place to start. You can’t really win in any other area of your life if your body isn’t healthy. Make 2016 the year you focus on balancing all of the to-dos in your life with a strong focus on eating nutritiously and getting regular, heart-pumping exercise.
Win from Within – Are you in the habit of watching the world around you and waiting for your turn to win? Promise yourself that this year, you’ll stop. Whatever metric of success has been eluding you, put your blinders on and dig deep to achieve it – you only need one person’s permission to succeed – YOURS! So grant it and get going.
Your MVP – Do you consistently make New Year’s resolutions only to break them by mid-January? What if I told you that you’d have a better chance at success with a Mission, Vision and Plan for your life? It’s true. I’ve seen countless elite athletes do it and so can you.
Embrace Adventure & Challenge – Tired of sitting the sidelines as others around you are embarking on the ride of their lives? Resolve that 2016 be the year you embrace a challenge or two. It doesn’t have to be skydiving. You can start small. How about a trip to a place you’ve never been before or tackling a project you’ve always been scared you’d fail at? Now’s the time. DO IT! And if you fail at it, dust yourself off and try it again.
Access your Victorious Spirit – I’ve discussed at length in the book, on this blog and in countless auditoriums around the world – the idea that we are hardwired for victory. Yes, the Victorious Spirit is a birth right and it is in you. Right now – just waiting for the moment when you break the lock on it and in doing so unleash all that potential for 2016.
Ramparts of Victory – Optimism & Hope – The two most vital traits of a Victorious Spirit are optimism and hope. You cannot win in life if you prescribe to a defeatist attitude that all of the bad things will happen to you or worse, that you are unworthy of great happiness. No, Negative Nancy and all her baggage are so 2015. Resolve that 2016 is the year you become Optimistic Oliver or Hopeful Holly. 2016 has no time for nonsense.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and most successful New Year,
Bert Mandelbaum