Don’t wait until the new year to start fresh! Here are top resolutions you can start working on today.

Starting fresh doesn’t have to wait until the new year. You can start working on achieving your goals and resolutions today, no matter what time of year it is. This includes seeing inside yourself in order to be the best most empowered version of yourself, to make you happy and to attract the right life for you! Don’t wait for the new year to start making positive changes in your life! Here are the top resolutions you can get started on right now for a successful and fulfilling year ahead.

Get Organized

Being organized in life is directly related to creating good habits that you maintain daily. I am definitely guilty of being surrounded by clutter. I like having everything where I can see it, but it does get out of hand and I need to get back on track – this is something I’ll be doing over the holidays. Anyone can do it, it just takes a willingness to do it and keep at it. A good way to remain organized is to write things down – some like to do lists or even find “done” lists to keep them motivated. Scheduling time to do what you need to do also helps a lot as does having someone to keep you accountable. For many rewards helps too, so for every thing you accomplish, you get to do something you like. Let’s face it, living an organized life feels good and is empowering. It helps motivate us to do the other things we need and want to do. If you need to, recruit help to get you started – therapist to understand why you do what you do, cleaner, coach to motivate you or even a professional organizer. Remember to focus on one thing at at time, don’t try doing it all at once or else you will lose interest and fall back to old bad habits.

Commit to a Healthy Lifestyle

When you feel good, other parts of your life start to fall into place too. However, you cannot do it unless you are willing and ready to commit to a healthy lifestyle. It’s not about dieting or sacrificing, it’s about creating new habits that will enhance your life. It all starts in your head, it’s a mental change first, then physical falls into place. What is a healthy lifestyle? It’s eating better, being active, limiting your vices, taking time for self-care and ensuring you’re surrounded by the right people for you. One thing I really encourage is taking a walk – scientifically proven to enhance your mental health. Find time each day to go outside for a walk. Start with a short walk and eventually add time. Change things up by going to a different place and take in the life, people and nature around you. You can take it one step further by journaling about your experience each day writing what you were grateful for about your walk.

Quit a Bad Habit, Start a Good One

Good habits essentially lead to positive results in your life while, alternately, bad habits lead to negative consequences. For example, a good habit would be going for a walk each day which leads to positive results such as physical and mental wellbeing, while, a bad habit would be spending your whole day binge watching on the sofa eating junk food leads to negative health consequences. But, bad habits are usually easier to do than good ones because the bad habits often give you immediate gratification. In order to change your habits, you need to know your why – what motivates you, what your end goal is – and finding positive ways to reinforce your habits and what rewards you. Starting small is important. Identify some of your goals and write down what habits you have that are holding you back and what small changes you can make to make the switch you need in order to reach your ultimate goals. Remember to start small and work your way up to bigger changes.

Start Journaling Daily

I’ve spoken and written extensively about how journaling has been proven scientifically to be an effective way of managing your mental health – including symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Why? Because writing in a journal daily helps you to direct your focus to your accomplishments and makes you more grateful. It also helps with setting and keeping your goals, making it a good daily habit. In addition, it can help increase your physical health and immunity because you are a happier person and more apt to live a more healthy lifestyle. One thing that has a BIG impact is at end of the day writing down and reflecting on the things from the day that you are grateful for as well as the lessons learned. It not only helps you sleep better because you will ruminate less, it actually also helps set the tone for the next day. Your morning affirmations help with that too [I even make it easy for you in my newsletter, I give you an affirmation for the week to get you started!]. So go buy a notebook from the discount store or use the notes feature on your phone if it’s easier but start!

Prioritize Your Mental Health

I mentioned before about how your physical health starts with your mental health. This is one important reason why you need to prioritize your mental health. When your are mentally healthy, it “allows you to feel, think and act in ways that help you enjoy life and cope with its challenges” such as life experiences, social interactions as well as other things, according to experts. Some ways to do this include identifying your triggers/stressors and doing something to avoid or deal with them, setting healthy boundaries that are enforced, prioritizing physical activity which can be as simple as taking a daily walk in nature, as well as putting a special focus on self-care rituals in order to fill your cup. If you need help, there is no shame in reaching out to a therapist or coach to help guide you or heal. This will all lead you to become more self-aware which, in turn, will mean you will be able to navigate the challenges that life brings you more effectively. It just takes that first step to empower yourself, to take back your power and live the life you want and deserve.

Change starts and ends with YOU. In order to live an empowered life you need to empower yourself. You need to do the necessary work, take the necessary steps, to accomplish whatever it is you want. I listed all the top resolutions necessary to really start the year on the right foot. Forget the big goals and unattainable heights, start small by making small changes to your daily life and habits. Be kind with yourself and forgive yourself if you stumble along the way, what’s important is that you get back up and keep going. One step at a time you will get where you want to be. Not only will you be empowered you will be happier and more fulfilled. One.Step.At.A.Time.