January is a time for fresh starts and laying the foundation for a good year. It’s basically the Monday of every year. Even though the idea of “new year, new you” is a well-meaning one, for some people it can be a daunting challenge to change bad habits and old ways of thinking. Here are some words of advice from your favorite Her Campus girls that we’ve found to be inspiring and motivational.
- “speak positivity into existence”
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Keri’s favorite piece of advice is to “speak positivity into existence; the more you put out into the universe, the more you will receive in return.” Remember what goes around comes back to you, so if you stay positive and speak kindly about yourself and others, you will be treated the same way.
- “never say anything to yourself that you would not say to your best friend”
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Similarly, Nicole wants you to remember to never “say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to your best friend.” When you look at your friends you wouldn’t pick at every little flaw they have, so why would you do that to yourself? My favorite exercise is to look in the mirror and pick one thing I really like about myself and verbally give myself a compliment. It seems trivial but practicing kindness towards yourself can change the entire course of your year.
- “you have to try all the flavors until you find your favorite”
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Eva’s mom told her that “dating is like going into an ice cream shop. You have to try all the flavors until you find your favorite,” and I think that is spectacular advice. If relationships aren’t easy for you and you start to feel like you’re doing something wrong, this is an amazing perspective to view your love life through. You’re just sampling a little bit of everything before you find your mint chocolate chip (the supreme flavor by the way).
- “always know what is most important to you and do not let anything get in your way”
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Erin says that you should “always know what is most important to you and don’t let anything get in your way.” In every aspect of your life you should never let someone, or something, be a permanent roadblock. You can overcome any adversary as long as you know what your goals are and persevere though the roughest of times.
- “every ball is catchable”
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Personally, my favorite piece of advice comes from my high school lacrosse coach: “Every ball is catchable.” Even though this was yelled across the field after quite a few missed catches, I think it holds true for everything. No matter how hard that save is to make, you can do it. It may take several tries to catch the ball and reach your goals, but if you keep working hard there’s no way you won’t be able to do it.
Hopefully, this year will be your best year yet and you’ll find motivation from all the people around you.