At the beginning of every year (or rather the end of previous one) we tell ourselves we are going make our lives better from now on.
I will cut back on my weight and get in shape… I will quit my boring job… I will travel… I will approach the person who I love…
These New Year resolutions, now, in fact, have become clichés.
You say to yourself you’re going to make some changes. You even outline a full-fledged plan on bringing your momentary gusto into reality. But deep down inside, you know the truth!
You know nothing will change. Just like last year – and the years before – your current goals would eventually fade into the mix of daily hassle, responsibilities, and busy-ness.
So now comes the most important question of the moment:
DO YOU WANT 2018 TO BE THE SAME? Do you want 2018 to be disappointing, regular and filled with crushing dreams?
YOU DEFINITELY DON’T!
I will cut back on my weight and get in shape… I will quit my boring job… I will travel… I will approach the person who I love…
These New Year resolutions, now, in fact, have become clichés.
You say to yourself you’re going to make some changes. You even outline a full-fledged plan on bringing your momentary gusto into reality. But deep down inside, you know the truth!
You know nothing will change. Just like last year – and the years before – your current goals would eventually fade into the mix of daily hassle, responsibilities, and busy-ness.
So now comes the most important question of the moment:
DO YOU WANT 2018 TO BE THE SAME? Do you want 2018 to be disappointing, regular and filled with crushing dreams?
YOU DEFINITELY DON’T!
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| Goals for 2018 Ideas |
I certainly don’t want this year to be the same!
I want my 2018 be different. I want to make my life better this year. And I am going to make proactive efforts to ensure it happens.
“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life,” said author Robin Sharma. Beautiful. Inspiring. Thought-Provoking.
This year, let’s make our lives better, happier and filled with contentment.
One of the biggest mistakes many make when setting their goals is being too vague.
I want my 2018 be different. I want to make my life better this year. And I am going to make proactive efforts to ensure it happens.
“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life,” said author Robin Sharma. Beautiful. Inspiring. Thought-Provoking.
This year, let’s make our lives better, happier and filled with contentment.
No More Vague Goals
You want to be happy—but HOW? You want to get fit—but HOW? You want to make more friends—but HOW? You want to quit an addiction—but HOW?One of the biggest mistakes many make when setting their goals is being too vague.
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| Always Be Clear in Your Planning |
Go back in time and think about everything you wanted in life but failed to get it. Why did that happen? Did you not work hard enough? Were you not dedicated enough? Or was it a flaw in your planning that failed you in achieving your goals?
More often than not, it’s our ineffective planning that prevents us from getting where we want to get. We never define the “HOW” part.
How we’re going to get there, how we’re going to go from A to B, how we’re going to tackle the challenges on way—we’re are always unprepared for these questions.
Let’s make sure this is not the case this time.
Make goals that are clearer. Make clearer and smaller goals that push you towards your larger and ultimate goal of life, which is being successful, healthier and happier.
Here are 21 small goals that will make your life better in 2018 (let’s pledge to achieve all in this list of personal development goals and objectives):
When you wake up early, you feel more energetic and less stressed out. The head start makes you more productive. You can do a lot of things – with much higher focus – that wouldn’t have been possible in the rush if you would have got up late.
So get up early (even on the weekends). This is only possible if you sleep early in the first place.
Here is a Sleep Calculator that helps in calculating the right time to sleep and get up for you. It’s quite good.
Still can’t wake up early in the morning?
Download a nice (and loud) alarm app. The Rock Clock™ by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a nice app that will wake you up every day with an upbeat feel.
Running every morning is a great habit. You can even join a gym and spend 30-minutes there on light workout routine.
If these aren’t suitable for whatever reason, start working out at home. Preferably at early morning; but anytime would be good if you’re too busy.
There are countless amazing fitness apps out there (many of them free) that you can use. Here is a list of 10 best fitness apps by Medical News Today.
My personal favorite is 30 Day Fitness Challenge. It’s ideal if you’re just starting working out at home. Home Workout – No Equipment by Leap Fitness Group is a great option as well.
Be in the moment. If you’re reading, read and not think of anything else. If you’re watching something, watch and not think of anything else. If you’re talking to someone, talk and not think of anything else.
Be in the present. And you will be happy.
An easy way to do this is to be conscious of what you are thinking of. And then make attempts to concentrate on the present.
Another approach is to always do what makes you happy. When you’re doing something that’s making you feel good, you will have no time thinking about anything else in the first place.
(Whenever you find yourself thinking of anything else other than what’s going on at the very present, slap yourself hard. No jokes. This works!)
Did you know Bill Gates read 50 books per year? Or Mark Cuban reads 3 hours of every day?
Even if you’re not a fan of reading, do it anyway. Pick a genre that interests you. Pick books that you think would suit you.
BUT… don’t make the mistakes that many makes, which is being unrealistic. Don’t think “I am going to read 1 book every week”. If you’re not used to it, you’re going to find it difficult.
Instead of focusing on the end result, focus on the progress. Aim to read at least 20 pages of a book every day. It’s that simple! Increase the goal as you go about with a consistent progress.
On average, a person spends 5 years and 4 months on social media platforms. Again, UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE!!! This is more than we’d spend on eating and drinking.
Now you might be tempted to totally boycott the likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram from your life. But hold on, who are we kidding! That’s not possible.
Instead of looking to totally eliminate social media from our lives, we should aim to use it more responsibly. Because while it may look like these platforms are time-killer, there are just as good, if you want them to be.
So, use your social profiles more responsibly—use them to grow yourself by consuming right media and by communicating with the right people.
Use your social media accounts on the weekends. Don’t spend more than 60 minutes on them every week.
Read this beautiful piece that explains why Aziz Ansari gave up using the internet.
If you don’t remember, go out there and give some money to the poor and hungry right now. And see how it would make you feel.
The feeling is unlike any other.
You will be filled with humility, you will be grateful for whatever you have, your self-confidence and self-esteem will shoot high.
If you want to explore this topic more, here’s a beautiful piece on Berkley University’s blog that explains why giving is good.
So donate some money to less privileged people every month. You don’t have to give them your fortune. Even $1 is fine.
Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen in 2018.
Learn a new language this year. French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese. Pick any and learn.
Not only will it make you smarter and boost your creativity and self-confidence, it would also be very helpful when you’re traveling.
Imagine you visit a foreign country and speak native language fluently—that’d be cool!!!
Additionally, we all know speaking more than one language makes you sexy. Vous avez entendu ce droit! ;)
In short, this simple goal can take both your professional and personal life to heights.
Really, the key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. The day you stop growing is the day you would be as good as dead.
Take personal development courses this year—take any type of course, for that matter, which interests you.
Good thing is, these days you don’t have to shell out a fortune on such extra-curricular. In fact, there are few very good online platforms where top universities offer courses for FREE.
These Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) vary in subjects, are intensive and very interactive. So don’t assume that since they are free, they might not be as good as the premium ones.
Edx.org is possibly the most popular platform that offers countless university-level courses in various domains, right from marketing, communication, and art to architecture, science, and philosophy.
It was created by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Technology back in 2012.
There’s this self-paced course, The Science of Happiness, offered by Berkley University, which is quite cool. Washington University, too, offers a pretty nice course on Becoming a Resilient Person - The Science of Stress Management.
If you’re looking for more of such online educational platforms, here’s a list.
Not only will these people never rise in their lives, they would also make sure you stay there with them at the very bottom. Remember, negative people, make others negative.
Give up their weight this year.
Being alone is far better than being in a bad company who puts your optimism and enthusiasm down.
However, getting rid of them out of sudden might not be a very suitable idea. If that’s the case, fade away your relationship with them.
Start talking to them less and less. Start the process by un-following/unfriending them on social profiles.
‘The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.’
Come on, giving up on pizza, burger king sandwich, French fries… Phew!!!
But let’s make it possible this year. Stop eating junk food. As delicious they are, let’s not forget that junk food has an awful lot of bad effects on our health.
They cause Type 2 diabetes, digestive problems, heart disease, kidney disease, and even damage liver. Also, junk foods cause learning problems, depression, and fatigue. (Here’s a nice piece on bad effects on fast food on our body)
Still think few minutes of delicacies that junk foods provide are worth all these?
Eliminate junk food from your life!
Again, this is tough. So start slow. Next time you’re hungry, don’t order pizza. The next time you head to watch a movie, don’t buy popcorn. Small and consistent efforts can easily help you get rid of junk food.
Drinking more water every day increases your energy, promotes weight loss, boosts the immune system, eliminates toxins, and keeps you in good mood.
So if you don’t already, drink more water every day this year. Set an hourly reminder on your phone to make this a habit.
(NOTE: No external links here are affiliate)
READ PART 2: 21 Personal Development Goals for 2018
Follow Mr. Jubilant on Twitter.
More often than not, it’s our ineffective planning that prevents us from getting where we want to get. We never define the “HOW” part.
How we’re going to get there, how we’re going to go from A to B, how we’re going to tackle the challenges on way—we’re are always unprepared for these questions.
Let’s make sure this is not the case this time.
Make goals that are clearer. Make clearer and smaller goals that push you towards your larger and ultimate goal of life, which is being successful, healthier and happier.
21 Small Goals for 2018 Ideas That Will Make Your Life Better
Whatever goals you have in your life, you’re not going to get there with a single big jump. It’s the small and consistent steps that will take you there, and beyond.Here are 21 small goals that will make your life better in 2018 (let’s pledge to achieve all in this list of personal development goals and objectives):
1. Sleep Early and Get Up Early
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| Wake up early |
The seamless benefits of rising early are secret to no one.
When you wake up early, you feel more energetic and less stressed out. The head start makes you more productive. You can do a lot of things – with much higher focus – that wouldn’t have been possible in the rush if you would have got up late.
So get up early (even on the weekends). This is only possible if you sleep early in the first place.
Here is a Sleep Calculator that helps in calculating the right time to sleep and get up for you. It’s quite good.
Still can’t wake up early in the morning?
Download a nice (and loud) alarm app. The Rock Clock™ by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a nice app that will wake you up every day with an upbeat feel.
2. Workout (Even it’s at home)
 |
| Workout at Home |
Again, the benefit of working out is a lot!!! And you know this already. Here is a list of 39 brain benefits of exercise.
Running every morning is a great habit. You can even join a gym and spend 30-minutes there on light workout routine.
If these aren’t suitable for whatever reason, start working out at home. Preferably at early morning; but anytime would be good if you’re too busy.
There are countless amazing fitness apps out there (many of them free) that you can use. Here is a list of 10 best fitness apps by Medical News Today.
My personal favorite is 30 Day Fitness Challenge. It’s ideal if you’re just starting working out at home. Home Workout – No Equipment by Leap Fitness Group is a great option as well.
3. Think of “NOW”
 |
| Be in Present - Live in Now |
Live in present. Stop thinking about the past—even it’s a good memory and making you happy right now. Don’t stress about the future as well.
Be in the moment. If you’re reading, read and not think of anything else. If you’re watching something, watch and not think of anything else. If you’re talking to someone, talk and not think of anything else.
Be in the present. And you will be happy.
An easy way to do this is to be conscious of what you are thinking of. And then make attempts to concentrate on the present.
Another approach is to always do what makes you happy. When you’re doing something that’s making you feel good, you will have no time thinking about anything else in the first place.
(Whenever you find yourself thinking of anything else other than what’s going on at the very present, slap yourself hard. No jokes. This works!)
4. Read At Least 20 Pages Everyday
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| Form a Habit of Reading |
Reading is one of the best habits you can form. There are many (and many) benefits—from increasing your knowledge to improving focus on reducing stress. Here are few science-backed benefits of reading.
Did you know Bill Gates read 50 books per year? Or Mark Cuban reads 3 hours of every day?
Even if you’re not a fan of reading, do it anyway. Pick a genre that interests you. Pick books that you think would suit you.
BUT… don’t make the mistakes that many makes, which is being unrealistic. Don’t think “I am going to read 1 book every week”. If you’re not used to it, you’re going to find it difficult.
Instead of focusing on the end result, focus on the progress. Aim to read at least 20 pages of a book every day. It’s that simple! Increase the goal as you go about with a consistent progress.
5. Check Social Media Profile On The Weekends
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| Stop Using Social Media Too Much |
Teens now spend up to 9 hours a day on social platforms. UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE!!!!!
On average, a person spends 5 years and 4 months on social media platforms. Again, UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE!!! This is more than we’d spend on eating and drinking.
Now you might be tempted to totally boycott the likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram from your life. But hold on, who are we kidding! That’s not possible.
Instead of looking to totally eliminate social media from our lives, we should aim to use it more responsibly. Because while it may look like these platforms are time-killer, there are just as good, if you want them to be.
So, use your social profiles more responsibly—use them to grow yourself by consuming right media and by communicating with the right people.
Use your social media accounts on the weekends. Don’t spend more than 60 minutes on them every week.
Read this beautiful piece that explains why Aziz Ansari gave up using the internet.
6. Donate (Even it’s $1 every month)
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| Donate Money To Less Privilleged |
Remember the last time when you donated money to someone who needed it. How did it make you feel? Weren’t you feeling good and positive and worthy and content?
If you don’t remember, go out there and give some money to the poor and hungry right now. And see how it would make you feel.
The feeling is unlike any other.
You will be filled with humility, you will be grateful for whatever you have, your self-confidence and self-esteem will shoot high.
If you want to explore this topic more, here’s a beautiful piece on Berkley University’s blog that explains why giving is good.
So donate some money to less privileged people every month. You don’t have to give them your fortune. Even $1 is fine.
7. Learn a New Language
 |
| Learn A New Language |
Some of us already pledge to learn a new language every year. But following few weeks and months, the lure eventually fades and we give up.
Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen in 2018.
Learn a new language this year. French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese. Pick any and learn.
Not only will it make you smarter and boost your creativity and self-confidence, it would also be very helpful when you’re traveling.
Imagine you visit a foreign country and speak native language fluently—that’d be cool!!!
Additionally, we all know speaking more than one language makes you sexy. Vous avez entendu ce droit! ;)
In short, this simple goal can take both your professional and personal life to heights.
8. Take (At Least) 3 Personal Development Courses
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| Take Personal Development Courses |
Erik Butterworth once said, “Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
Really, the key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. The day you stop growing is the day you would be as good as dead.
Take personal development courses this year—take any type of course, for that matter, which interests you.
Good thing is, these days you don’t have to shell out a fortune on such extra-curricular. In fact, there are few very good online platforms where top universities offer courses for FREE.
These Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) vary in subjects, are intensive and very interactive. So don’t assume that since they are free, they might not be as good as the premium ones.
Edx.org is possibly the most popular platform that offers countless university-level courses in various domains, right from marketing, communication, and art to architecture, science, and philosophy.
It was created by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Technology back in 2012.
There’s this self-paced course, The Science of Happiness, offered by Berkley University, which is quite cool. Washington University, too, offers a pretty nice course on Becoming a Resilient Person - The Science of Stress Management.
If you’re looking for more of such online educational platforms, here’s a list.
9. Start Talking Less to People Who Are Toxic
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| Get Rid of Toxic People |
It’s as simple as this—get rid of toxic people from your life. Ditch those who make you feel bad, who carry a negative attitude and exude negativity, who doesn’t motivate you.
Not only will these people never rise in their lives, they would also make sure you stay there with them at the very bottom. Remember, negative people, make others negative.
Give up their weight this year.
Being alone is far better than being in a bad company who puts your optimism and enthusiasm down.
However, getting rid of them out of sudden might not be a very suitable idea. If that’s the case, fade away your relationship with them.
Start talking to them less and less. Start the process by un-following/unfriending them on social profiles.
‘The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.’
10. Eliminate Junk Food one at a Time
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| Say Goodbye to Junk Food |
Before going any further, let’s just admit— This. Is. Too. Damn. Difficult.
Come on, giving up on pizza, burger king sandwich, French fries… Phew!!!
But let’s make it possible this year. Stop eating junk food. As delicious they are, let’s not forget that junk food has an awful lot of bad effects on our health.
They cause Type 2 diabetes, digestive problems, heart disease, kidney disease, and even damage liver. Also, junk foods cause learning problems, depression, and fatigue. (Here’s a nice piece on bad effects on fast food on our body)
Still think few minutes of delicacies that junk foods provide are worth all these?
Eliminate junk food from your life!
Again, this is tough. So start slow. Next time you’re hungry, don’t order pizza. The next time you head to watch a movie, don’t buy popcorn. Small and consistent efforts can easily help you get rid of junk food.
11. Drink More Water
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| Drink More Water every day |
Isn’t this too simple? Sadly, many of us till don’t do this.
Drinking more water every day increases your energy, promotes weight loss, boosts the immune system, eliminates toxins, and keeps you in good mood.
So if you don’t already, drink more water every day this year. Set an hourly reminder on your phone to make this a habit.
(NOTE: No external links here are affiliate)
READ PART 2: 21 Personal Development Goals for 2018
Follow Mr. Jubilant on Twitter.
