5 Ways To Start Out Strong This Year

Can you really say that you've started out this New Year strongly? How fiercely have you started actualising your plans and pursuing goals for this year? Can you actually say that you are on track or are you rolling back to the same routines?

It's already six days into 2017. Many people have said on the first of January that they will do and achieve many things this year in the name of resolutions, how many of them have started taking actions already?

If you're already on track and you have started out strongly to pursue those goals, then thumbs up for you. All you need to do is to keep it up and let nothing distract you from your pursuits.

If these six days just passed you by like that and you're still hanging on just your resolutions to make things happen, then I'll advise you to wake up because you're still dreaming.

In anything we do, we must try to start it on a strong, positive and motivated note. This is because foundations are very important in the attainment of success.

If you start this year with a lazy attitude, there is a higher tendency to continue with it for the rest of the year. If however you start it on a very strong note, taking actions with a positive state of mind, you will be motivated to keep it up throughout the year.

Here are 5 tips to help you start this year strong:

1. Break away from old limiting patterns and routines
Are you the type that usually wakes up late? If you want to see a change this year, make it a point of duty to wake up earlier everyday. Do you easily procrastinate? Make it a rule this year that you will never procrastinate and you will do what you need to do as long as you're able.

Try to break away from your normal routines and patterns, these may just be what is limiting you from achievement your goals. If you spend too much time online, try spending time less time on the internet this year.

If you don't go out much, try and make a plan to go out more this year. If you don't take some time to meditate, you should try meditation this year. Just for something new in your life, so that you'll experience something new. You may even need to relocate and meet new people, that may just be what you need to do.

You experience something new and start strong, you should do things differently by breaking out of your usual routines.

2. Set your goals with deadlines
Goal setting is very important. We should set goals everyday if possible and update goals that need to be updated.

Some people have started this year poorly be a cause they don't have goals. Others have goals, but they don't set deadlines to achieve them.

Most goals are never accomplished because there is no timeframe made to achieve them. Not having a deadline for accomplishing the goals you wish for can make you spend too much time thinking and consequently procrastinate.

Set daily plans, weekly plans and monthly plans. Write it down on paper and put a deadline to each of them. Reassess these plans and deadlines regularly. This attitude will keep you working towards something always and there will be little room to waste your time.

3. Question Yourself Day and Night
When you wake up in the morning, do you just hurriedly leave your bed and start your day? If you do, you may be making a mistake. You should wake up early everyday, but before you commence any activities, learn to ask yourself questions.

What do you intend to achieve for that day? What do you want to work on? What would you do today to enable you get closer to achieving your goals? What new plans should I make today? Think of the answers to these questions and once you have them, you start your day with the answers in mind.

Before you go to sleep, ask yourself again the questions: How have I accomplished my goals for today? Where did I go wrong? Did I achieve much today? What do I need to differently? What more actions so I need to take?

These questions are very important and we should form the habit of asking ourselves these questions everyday to keep us focused.

4. Be willing to take risks, fail and try again
Your life will never change if you're not willing to take risks, encounter failures and face challenges. Most people never get to achieve much because they are living "safe" lives. They're so attached to their patterns that they're afraid of taking risks.

If you really want to change your life, you must eliminate the fear of failure and taking risks. There is no successful man who has never failed. Everyone you see as a success today once failed. You may not know that they once failed because the world doesn't care about that. The world only cares about your success. So why should you worry about failure when nobody cares about it?

The formula every successful man has used is: Fail, learn from it and try again till you're successful. That's the secret. But because we're afraid of failing we tend to avoid opportunities that could change our lives. Start out strong by embracing failure.

5. Create time for fun and exercise. 
Yeah.. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, the saying goes. Probably, you've not started out strongly because you work too much and you spend little or no time having some fun and exercising your mind or body.

You need to have these things included in your plans. If your body is strong and your mind is strong as well, you'll see that you will always be motivated and your will power will be stronger. Time out with friends it's also good for your emotional well-being.

Take a break sometimes and just chill out. But don't let it become a problem to you. Spending too much time hanging out can be a disadvantage. So you have to still plan and set deadlines here as well.

I hope with these tips you'll be able to start this year much strongly and experience the very best. Don't let January come and go just like that. Achieve something with it. I wish you well and hope you'll achieve your goals sooner than expected.

All the best!