The New Year

10 Ways to Reenergize Your Life in 2010
by Aby Garvey

The New Year offers you an ideal opportunity to start anew. You have a blank calendar and, in essence, a fresh canvas for your life. What will you fill yours with?

Ahead are simple ideas designed to inspire you to refresh and reenergize your life in the year ahead. Look at the ideas like they’re dishes on a buffet line. The notion isn’t to put all of these ideas on your plate (at least not all at once), but instead to pick just one or two that appeal to you most—just as you’d do in a real buffet line. Then, once you have some tasty ideas on your plate, you’ll make progress on them just like you would any good meal—one bite at a time.

1. Reflect. Start by taking a look back on the past year (or if you’re feeling really motivated, the past decade). What were the high points for you? How about the lows? What positive changes did you make in your home and life over the course of the last year? Both the highs and the lows offer opportunities to learn and grow. And by focusing on your successes over the past year, you will face 2010 with renewed confidence and optimism. So take a look back, tuck the good stuff away in your pocket, and then draft a short list of simple changes you can make to refresh your life in the New Year.

2. Renegotiate your goals. If you set any goals or New Year’s resolutions last year, take another look at them. Which ones do you still want to pursue or make progress on? Keep the good ones—those that inspire you and energize you, and renegotiate those goals that no longer fit your life or the direction you’d like to move in the year ahead.

3. Reprioritize your to-do list. With your renegotiated goals in mind, reprioritize your to-do list. Put at the top of your list those projects that move you closer to your new goals, and move the less important tasks to the bottom of your list.

4. Release anything that is getting in the way of your goals. Let go of any negative self-talk or self-doubt that is tripping you up or weakening your confidence. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.” So first become aware of any beliefs or messages you give yourself that say you can’t do something you want to do, and replace them with a new, affirming message. For example, if you say, “I’m so disorganized” to yourself, replace that message with, “I’m learning to be organized!” In doing so, you clear the mental pathway for your success.

5. Reorganize. Let go of physical clutter that is getting in the way of creating the life you want. Let go of useless objects and items that represent past memories and life events that no longer fit where you’re headed now. And let go of items that don’t make you feel good. Eliminating clutter energizes your physical space, and in the process reenergizes your spirit.

6. Reschedule. As you transfer dates and appointments into your new calendar, reschedule your days to allocate a block of time for yourself. Use this time to make progress on your goals, get in a bit of exercise, or to simply relax and reenergize. Schedule time for yourself first, and then, work everything else around it.

7. Renegotiate your obligations. Use your blank calendar as an opportunity to take stock of your current obligations. Which appointments and events are you excited about, and which ones feel like drudgery? Give yourself permission to let yourself go of anything that isn’t working for you, is no longer necessary, or no longer makes you happy. In the past few months Jay and I did this exercise. He doesn’t enjoy unloading the dishwasher, and I had grown very tired of grocery shopping—so we decided to swap. I unload the dishwasher every day, and Jay handles the grocery shopping. The best part of this arrangement is that we both feel like we drew the long straw!

8. Replace an unhealthy habit with one new, healthier habit. Identify just one thing you habitually do that doesn’t serve you or is inconsistent with your goals. If you want to live in a clutter-free environment, but habitually place the daily mail in stacks on the counter, replace this habit with a new habit: handling the mail each and every day. By focusing on just one habit, and replacing it with a new more productive habit, you set yourself up for success.

9. Resolve to be kinder and gentler with yourself in 2010. Be the sort of friend to yourself that you would like to have in others. Speak kindly to yourself, and look for all the things you do well and do right. Pay less attention to your weaknesses and pay more attention to your strengths.

10. Remember to do one thing at a time. Over the past holiday season you enjoyed delicious meals and you savored them bite by bite. Remember that change, like enjoying a good meal, happens one delicious bite at a time. Go easy on yourself, be courageous, and allow yourself to create a life that fills your heart with joy.

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