This is going to be a changing year for me! I have discovered an incredibly inspirational place called Abundance Blog. I hit the jackpot of inspiration to help make 2011 the best year ever.
Here are 44 ways to have a great 2011:
1. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix breakfast meals (purchase a great cookbook or go online and look for recipes).
2. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix lunches.
3. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix dinners.
4. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix snacks.
5. Each week, choose the meals and snacks you’ll be eating that week by referring to your lists of 10 breakfast meals, lunches, dinners, and snacks.
6. Establish a day and time to go grocery shopping each week.
7. Set a time when you’re going to prepare your meals for the week in bulk and freeze them.
8. Create a grocery list template (here’s one sample you can use, here’s another one, and here’s a third) so that you can easily create a list of the groceries that you’ll need each week. (You can consider creating a grocery list that’s ordered in the same way as the aisles of the supermarket where you do your shopping, but that’s probably too OCD for most people).
9. Set up a weight chart to keep track of your weight, percentage of body fat, and waist circumference, and post it up in your bathroom.
10. Purchase a good quality scale that will allow you to weigh yourself and keep track of your percentage of body fat each week.
11. Set your watch to beep once an hour, or set up a computer reminder, to make sure that you drink water on a regular basis throughout the day.
12. Remember the 80/20 rule and give yourself permission to cheat a little on your healthy eating during the weekends (yes, Pareto applies to everything).
13. Choose a sport you’re going to practice consistently in 2011.
14. Identify your 3 greatest accomplishments for 2010, and write down what you learned from each. How can you apply those lessons to 2011?
15. Identify your 3 greatest mistakes or failures for 2010, and write down what you learned from each. How can you apply those lessons to 2011?
16. Come up with a list of 5 positive habits you want to adopt in 2011. If you need help coming up with a list of positive habits, go here: 58 Habits That Will Help You Succeed.
17. Come up with a list of 5 negative habits you want to drop in 2011.
18. Set your goals for the year. You can follow the same process that Chris Guillebeau, from the popular blog “The Art of Nonconformity”, uses: How to Conduct Your Own Annual Review.
19. Create a list of all of your assets, as well as a list of all of your liabilities. Subtract your liabilities from your assets and come up with your net worth. Then, create a plan to increase your net worth in 2011.
20. If you’re in debt, create a debt repayment plan to get yourself out of debt.
21. Create a budget or spending plan for 2011.
22. Identify 5 ways in which you can lower your expenses for this year.
23. Start planning how to create one new source of passive income this year.
24. Make a list of 5 things you will do this year to educate yourself about money matters.
25. Make a list of 10 people you’re going to reach out to this year: this can be friends from the past that you’ve lost touch with, possible mentors, people you’d like to network with, and so on.
26. Start keeping a gratitude journal: each day give thanks–and really feel gratitude–for five things.
27. Make a list of 10 things you’re going to say “no” to this year. This can be commitments that are not aligned with your goals, toxic people who drain you of your energy, time wasters–such as checking your email every fifteen minutes or mindlessly surfing the Internet–and so on.
28. Make a list of 10 simple pleasures you can incorporate into your life on a regular basis. Examples include sitting out on the porch drinking flavored coffee in your favorite mug, going for a walk with your dog, or taking a scented bath.
29. Make a list of 10 things you can do to venture outside of your comfort zone. This can be giving a speech in front of a large audience, asking for more responsibility at work, entering your famous apple pie in a contest, and so on.
30. Go through each room of your house and make a list of 10 items for each room which are currently cluttering up your home. Get rid of them (donate them, recycle them, or throw them in the trash).
31. Make a list of 10 things that need to be repaired around the house (light bulbs that need to be changed, faucets that drip, cabinet doors that are sagging or sticking, and so on).
32. Identify 5 tasks that you perform on a regular basis which you don’t enjoy doing, and find a way to either stop doing the task, delegate it to someone else, or outsource it.
33. Identify the one thing that you can accomplish in 2011 which would allow you to call the year a success.
34. Conduct at least one experiment in order to move closer toward finding your life’s passion (Finding Your Life’s Passion: Conduct Experiments).
35. Choose a cause that you’re committed to. Donate time or money to that cause throughout the year.
36. Start a self-esteem bulletin board: put up drawings from your child that say “I love you dad”, emails from happy clients, a photograph in which you look great, and so on. Make sure you place the bulletin board in a place where you can see it often.
37. Keep a journal. You can follow Julia Cameron’s suggestion of keeping morning pages, or you can simply sit down to write whenever you have a problem and need to get in touch with your inner guidance. For more tips on how to keep a journal, read this post: Journaling As a Way to Rediscover Your Authentic Self.
38. Create a morning routine that will allow you to start each day feeling positive and energized.
39. Create a bedtime routine that will help you release all of the stresses of the day so that you can easily drift off into a peaceful sleep.
40. Make a list of 5 things you’re going to do to have more energy in 2011. You can read this post for ideas: 21 Easy Ways to Boost and Replenish Your Energy.
41. Make a list of 5 things you will do whenever you feel yourself getting upset over something. It could be taking several deep breaths, shifting your thoughts to a positive memory, doing a round of Emotional Freedom Technique, and so on.
42. Write down 3 things you can do to improve your image and appearance, such as getting a flattering haircut, getting a good shave (for men), or getting makeup that better suits your coloring (for women).
43. Write down 3 grudges or resentments you need to let go of.
44. Write down the names of 5 people you admire, whether you know them or not, and then write down why you admire them. Lastly, write down what you can do to acquire the traits or characteristics that you admire about these people.
