Written by: Kris de Jong, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
For most of us, 2021 was “challenging” to say the least! What’s this year going to look like? This time of year gives us a sense of new beginnings and starting afresh. This feeling gives you a great opportunity to make positive changes in your life to make the most of 2022.
It starts with a commitment to yourself to do the best you can to get what you want in life. Nurture an attitude of optimism and positivity, a belief that you are capable of achieving great things through perseverance and consistent actions.
Identify your priorities
What is most important to you in the coming year? Is it family issues? Is it your career? Is it finances? Is there stuff in your life taking up your time and energy that you could do without? Once you know what your priorities are, you’re able to focus on what really matters.
Write down specific goals for the year, with smart strategies to help you achieve them. Commit to these goals by putting your plans in a place where you can see them every day. Then take action on your strategies on a consistent basis. Do something every day that moves you toward your goals. Once actions become habits, you won’t need to be “motivated” to do them, they just become part of your routine.
Watch your mindset
Think about how you have tended to react to bad news or disappointment in the past year. Perhaps you’ve allowed setbacks and obstacles to affect your aspirations more than they should have.
Start this year with a different mindset. Accept that things will never go perfectly, and be ready for setbacks when they occur. It’s not what happens to you that counts, but how you react to what happens that really matters.
Learn to put things into perspective. Instead of thinking “This always happens to me. Life is so unfair”, think “What happened was disappointing and not ideal, but I can learn from this, and get back on track using these strategies”.
Try new things
Do something different. If you feel like you’ve been stuck in a rut for a while, doing something that you’ve never done before can help to jolt you out of your comfort zone, and make it easier for you to change your life for the better. Take up a new hobby, meet new people, go skydiving! Doing something new and exciting lifts your spirits and opens up a world of possibilities.
Finally, remind yourself every day to enjoy the moment, whatever you’re doing. If you can find a way to enjoy each and every day for 365 days, it adds up to a great year.
Kris de Jong, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kris de Jong is an experienced and certified Executive Life Coach living in Auckland, New Zealand. He studied at the University of Waikato, completing a BSc in Biology and Psychology, and was later certified in Cognitive Behavioural Coaching and Professional Life Coaching. He's also a Certified Practitioner of the Global Leadership Assessment 360 (GLA360). Recently he's become a co-founding ambassador for Prox.io, a global virtual knowledge exchange platform.
Kris has managed large and diverse teams over the years while building his coaching and mentoring skills. His experience in HR, recruitment, performance, and people management allows him to optimize employee coaching for organizations looking to improve workplace wellbeing.
He's written over 100 articles, published in national news outlets, and featured on national radio.
After achieving financial freedom at 40, Kris started Eclipse Life Coaching and is passionate about coaching and helping people to get what they want in life.
