Five Ways to Prepare for The New Year

Written by J.H. Gibbons

The new year is upon us, Achromous family! We’re less than a week away from beginning another 365-day cycle of adventure, everlasting memories and success we can only imagine. I am proclaiming this now for you and myself because this has to be our year. Yeah, I know what you’re going to say. “J.H. Gibbons, y’all say this every year and yet none of my wildest dreams have come true. I try to plan and commit myself to my dreams by creating a mission statement and I truly believe that I can accomplish everything at that time. But, I struggle to stay committed in March and by the time May comes I’ve already forgotten what I was doing. Help!”

This happens to the best of us. Year in and year out, we bite off more than we can chew. We get excited because the last digit of a four-digit number increases by one numerical unit. We want to believe that everything in our life will change because of that change. I have something to tell you: The problems you left behind will follow you into the new year. You guys know that pandemic that plagued us a couple years ago? Many people wanted to write 2020 off as a “bye-year” and forget it ever happened. However, here we are going into 2023 and it is still here.

*A Little Gem*

To be honest, it is not up to us to do anything about things that are completely out of our control. We have to just let it happen because it is going to happen anyway. The only thing we can do is control our emotions and the way we respond. I want to tell you that in the new year, you will have challenges. There will be issues, but you will rise above those issues. You will approach each problem with a solution in mind. If you don’t have one in mind immediately, you will find one eventually.

The only way to keep this mindset is to prepare yourself for what is to come. Knowing that 2023 will be your best year on record is the best mentality to have going into it. However, you need to make sure you’re well equipped to handle the storm. Let Achromous help you prepare to live your best life within 2023 by providing you with five ways to prepare.

Reflect

Things happened in 2022. A lot of things. Some things you would like to remember. Other things you cannot forget fast enough. Learn from the lessons you’ve experienced in 2022 and hold onto the memories made. Remember how far behind you were on your goals during January 2022. Maybe you weren’t lifting as heavy. You weren’t as in shape then as you are now. You were still paying your car off and looking for your very first home. I am sure some of those things you’ve accomplished. Some of the other goals are still in progress. That’s ok! Take note of everything you’ve experienced and make sure you remember them in 2023.

Gratitude

Those good and bad things that happened to you in 2022…remember and appreciate all of them. Take note of the good and remember the bad. You will know what was meant for you and what wasn’t meant for you at that time. Everything has a season and it’s important to understand which one you were in at that time and which one you’re heading in. Practicing gratitude would help you to feel more positive emotions and sink into that warm feeling knowing that you will deal with adversities with a different perspective in the future. It could help to decrease anxiety and depressing moods as you deal with those “bad things” we talked about before.

Plan

The old saying will always be relevant: “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” What does that mean? Without organizing yourself to set yourself up for success, you will fail. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Planning provides a strategic directive towards action. You know where you’re going and you know how to get there. It doesn’t mean your plan will always be fool-proof. However, once you have the foundation set, you can manipulate everything else you need to change in order to make the plan work for you. Going into the new year, make sure that you spend time planning your day, your budget, special events and other activities.

Clean Up Your Personal Life

Clean your damn room! I don’t mean to sound like a parent but you need to clean where you live. And I don’t just mean the room in your house. I mean the room in your mind. Clean up your thinking and learn how to become a more positive person. Clean out your phone and remove people who are no longer for you. These are people who drain your batteries rather than helping you charge or conserve them. They disappear when you need them the most but they crowd you when they need to retrieve something from you. You need to lose them and leave them in 2022.

Strategic and Realistic Goal Setting

This is, by far, the most important way to prepare for the new year. Goal-setting is a lost art these days. You will hear guru’s telling you “if your goals don’t scare you, your dreams are not big enough”. I agree and disagree with this statement. You should dream big. However, don’t live within the vastness that your dream creates. That means that you shouldn’t spend 364 days dreaming and visualizing your goal and only one day working on it. Your dreams should not scare you. They should inspire you.

They should be in alignment with your overall purpose because your purpose gives your dream a “reason” to achieve them. For example, in The 21-3 Method, Will C. knew that his survival from a difficult divorce was paramount because of his children. He needed to be present and healthy for them so they understand how to navigate this crazy world. That led him towards peak physical, mental and spiritual health and he lives in that realm today. Make sure you’re setting realistic goals with a plan to make consistent progress to accomplish them.

Look, I can provide this advice to you every single day of the year. It doesn’t mean a damn thing if you don’t take action to achieve your goals. I am talking about consistent action as well. You must take steps to achieve your goals even when you’re not in the mood. Your goals don’t care about your mood. Once you create a standard, you must ensure that you live up to that standard each day. It sounds difficult and it is very difficult when you first start on your new journey. But, when you’re three weeks into the new year, your new lifestyle will feel as though you were doing it the entire time.