What I saw all over Twitter and other social media sites on the brink of 2013 kind of made me a little disappointed. I saw so many people saying things like “It’s just another day; if things were bad for you in 2012 they will be bad for you in 2013.” I don’t agree with this whatsoever. No, New Years isn’t some sort of magical day that overnight will fix all your problems and grant you every wish you’ve ever had. It’s the chance to start over with a fresh, clean slate and start being the person you want to be and living the life you deserve. It’s the little changes that count and make all the difference, and these are the best tips to a better year and a better you!
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – Lucille Ball
Wake up earlier
This is probably one of the hardest things to start doing. I know I’m guilty of waking up at the very last second I need to in order to make it to class on time. But one of my resolutions is to wake up earlier and start my day better. If you are not a morning person, become one. Researchers say that your brain retains the most information right before you go to sleep and first thing in the morning when you wake up. Take those extra fifteen minutes and read the news, listen to music, or even study. Eventually that fifteen minutes may turn into an hour or two. Make an agenda of what you want to get done that day, and stick to it. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you’ll be!
Read more. Of anything.
This one is essential for success in my opinion. If you’re not in class or doing homework, read something. Keeping your brain constantly moving can bring your thought process to places it’s never been before, resulting in you doing things you’ve never done before. I love my quote of the day app on my phone. Yes, it’s cheesy, but a good quote from a historical inspiration really pulls at my heartstrings for some reason. Amazon also has hundreds of novels for only a penny! Buy one and read it for fun outside of your assigned reading and homework for class. I promise it makes a world of difference. Also, you should always know at least one thing that’s going on in the world. If you don’t read the news, start now. If you have a smartphone it’s ridiculously easy to catch up on the news simply walking from class to class. Incorporate the news into your morning routine! I like NPR.com because I can listen while I get ready.
Visualize it
Though I’ve succumb to the peer pressure of a smartphone, I still could not live without a pen and paper. That “notepad” app is nonsense. Don’t use it. Go out and buy a tiny notebook that is ALWAYS on you. Carry it everywhere and whenever something pops in your head that’s important, inspirational, or a stroke of genius, write it down. You’ll remember it ten times better and it’s much more fun to look back through a notebook of ideas than scroll through your phone. Plus, the physical act of writing makes whatever your saying stick in your brain better. It’s better to always have a visual representation of what you want than to just keep it locked up in your head.