Happy new year, positive and enthusiastic readers. We are here to share some simple but effective tips on making your 2020 as positive and fulfilling as possible.
We discuss positivity on a regular basis but changing one’s attitude to life really comes into focus when we’re celebrating the new year.
Most people think of the first day of the year as a time to make sweeping changes to their lives—it’s a new year, so why not make a new start?
You’ve definitely heard the term ‘new year, new you’, but does that help to instil a positive mindset? Here are some ways to start your year off positively that actually work.
Give Up on Resolutions
Surprise! New year’s resolutions are rarely kept. In fact, they often tend to add to the stress of post-holiday life.
Do yourself a massive favour in 2020 and forego resolutions. More importantly, don’t assume that an arbitrary date like the first day of a year is reason enough for you to change your entire self.
We put too much pressure on ourselves by setting resolutions, many of which we are absolutely impossible to keep, like trying to update every single site map template in a week.
On a personal level, many people resolve to go to the gym every day—gym memberships peak in January and by March, all those memberships are forgotten.
This is because in January, people are still getting back into the groove of work, so they have a bit more time to head to the gym.
Once we close in on the end of the first quarter, and workloads increase, people run out of time and enthusiasm to continue with their resolution to go to the gym.
As a result, you feel bad for the rest of the year!
Don’t make resolutions and give yourself improbable deadlines for them. It won’t help you feel more positive about what you are able to do.
Take Small Steps
Now that we’ve got resolutions out of the way, what can you do to have a more positive mindset in the new year?
Take things slow, and take small steps—it’s the best way to go about making any real changes to your life and your mind.
If your past resolutions have been about being more organised in your talent acquisition planning or eating different food, don’t start trying to do it all on January 1.
Instead of trying to clean your entire house in the first of January, choose a different drawer every other weekend to clean out.
You may miss some weekends in between because of other commitments, but that isn’t the end of the world.
Also, don’t change your entire food plan from January 1—your body may go into shock. Instead, add or subtract elements from your meals slowly but steadily.
Rapid changes will make mealtimes a chore whereas small changes will be easier to get used to and maintain.
Cutting Out Negativity
It isn’t always possible to complete the tasks you set yourself, which is why resolutions tend to be a bad idea. But even when you make a commitment to smaller changes, you can make mistakes.
And that is absolutely fine—you are only human, after all. But what you absolutely must not do is be negative about any failures you face.
Say you’re trying to maintain a particular tone in the way you write your follow-up emails and you forgot to incorporate that tone in a few emails. Don’t be hard on yourself about it.
The same goes for any experiments you try to undertake, whether it is for conversion rate optimization or for event planning.
Things don’t always go the way you want it to, but it’s the experience that counts, not how well you do. If we did everything right the first time we tried it, life would be very boring.
Invest in Self-Care
The term self-care is thrown around a great deal but it is important to understand how to care for oneself as we step into 2020.
Look at what’s happening around you and examine what pressures you and your environment are putting on you.
Are you equipped to make that list of sales forecast for your company , all while you are doing your regular job and helping out at an SaaS agency?
These experiences may be vital for your personal learning and to improve your skills at work, but if you don’t have the bandwidth to handle it all, you will end up suffering from burnout.
This will greatly impact your ability to be positive, which is why you should make self-care a priority. Take on tasks you can handle, and if you can’t do something, don’t agree to it.
If you need breaks, don’t be afraid to take them—nobody can work 24/7, and it won’t make you more productive or positive.
Your body and mind will let you know when you need rest, but you need to listen to them.
Get Your Downtime
Taking off from the previous point, getting downtime in 2020 should be something you remember to do. It will help you feel better mentally, and keep you positive.
You may be tasked with conducting the website tracking audit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to some music while you’re doing it, or that you can’t stop at 5pm and go home to your new book.
The same goes for when you’re creating your email strategy—working on it non-stop for six hours may seem like the best way to create your strategy document, but it isn’t.
Take some downtime while working on your strategy not only to refresh your body but to give your mind something else to focus on. You will find that it helps you work even better eventually.
And because you’re taking your necessary downtime, you will be able to accomplish tasks better and become a more positive individual.
Celebrate the Little Wins
The best way to instil a positive mindset in 2020 is to celebrate every achievement, even the small ones.
We often set ourselves unrealistic expectations, and when we don’t meet them, we punish ourselves for our perceived failures.
Try doing the opposite this year—whether you’ve succeeded in finishing a strategy document, or winning a major contract, a win is a win and should be acknowledged.
Give yourself a pat on the back but don’t rest on your laurels—every win should propel you towards your next success, and an even more positive attitude.