Personal Development Blog

Once again, it’s time to think about your New Years Resolutions, assuming you haven’t given up on these long ago! Perhaps you’re one of those who prefer to say “my only resolution is NOT to make any resolutions”, knowing you never keep them? After all, what’s so special about a New Year?

Yes, the New Year is just a calendar date, but it’s a symbolic point you can leverage to let go of what you don’t want, and create what you do want. The secret is to not create unrealistic resolutions doomed to fail from the start, perhaps being too ambitious, not specific enough, or not really all that motivated about it.

Unfortunately while the holiday season is a time of happiness for many, for some it’s a time of depression and anxiety. There are many reasons for this ranging from stress, tensions with family members, financial challenges, and loneliness.

Understanding this is important not only for avoiding it in yourself, but in helping others who might feel depressed, without you being aware of it.

To avoid depression in yourself, don’t overextend yourself, avoid any perfectionist tendencies you might have and keep things in perspective. Try to understand what is bringing negative feelings and face the challenge head-on rather than let it linger in your subconcious. If financies are worrying you, determine a budget you can live with, and stick to it, knowing you’ve been reasonable rather than out of control.

1. Continuous Learning: Take responsibility for your own lifelong personal development, knowing that it’s the secret to success in all areas of life, and your most valuable asset. Your knowledge and experience is personal wealth you can never lose.

2. Positivity: Find the positive aspect in everything, accepting what cannot be changed, and acting on what can, towards a positive result. Don’t let circumstances drive your state of being, let your state of being drive your results. Smile and use humor to help drive a positive attitude and share it with others.

3. Personal Excellence: Strive to do your best in everything you do. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Not only to achieve superior results, but so that if you fail you can remain positive rather than wishing you had tried harder. Look to be creative in your personal excellence rather than follow the safest, lowest risk path.