Five Tips to Make Every Your Best Year Ever

We live in a culture where "busy-ness" and goal achievement are measure of our success. With the New Year comes a flood of blog posts and advice-driven articles focused on how to achieve success, monetary goals and career dreams. We are directed to "manifest" our desires with secret steps, formulas and meditations. We are demoralised for failing to achieve as it must mean we are not operating at the right vibration. I thought it would be refreshing to take a different slant on setting intentions for the New Year. What if we were to focus on what makes us and others around us happy? What if we were to measure our success on how fulfilled we feel at the end of the day rather than the dollar value of our "achievement". Perhaps we would all be operating at a higher vibration - without trying. My tips on ensuring that every year is the best year ever are simple but will have maximum impact.

1. Focus on what makes your heart sing: Rather than being "task masters" at setting goals, timeframes, resource lists and contingency plans for obstacles to monetary or tangible gains in 2016, what if we were to write a list of 100 things we would love to do in the coming year? 100 things that makes our heart sing; be it travel, food, activities, business or spending time with loved ones. If we were to focus on crossing off as many things as we can on this list, I guarantee we would be more happier than we would using a boot-camp approach to goal setting, reviews and re-evaluations. Give it a go this week - just writing this list can be so much fun!
2. Show gratitude: Whilst being positive is often short lived, gratitude allows us to appreciate the value of people and circumstances in our lives, enabling us to celebrate the present and magnify the pleasures we get from life. There’s even evidence, including a study by psychologist Alex Wood in the Journal of Research in Personality, showing that gratitude can reduce the frequency and duration of episodes of depression. An easy method to develop the practice of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal, which basically consists of writing down every day a list of three to ten things for which you are grateful. You can do this first thing in the morning or before going to bed at night. Another simple way is to remember to thank and be grateful for everyone in your life.
3. Pursue your passion and work less: Five regrets people have at their death bed is that they wish they had:
   1. Not worked so hard,
   2. Stayed in touch with friends
   3. Let themselves be happier
   4. Had the courage to express their true selves
   5. Lived life true to their dreams instead of what others expected from them. 

Don't end up being someone who resonates with this list. Pursue what your heart wants, keep those who matter close, and work only to live (not the other way around!). 

4. Give something back: Imagine a world where everyone did just one daily kind or compassionate deed for someone else. The world would certainly be a much happier place.
5. Spend time in nature: The health benefits of time spent in the outdoors include increased immunity, lowered levels of stress and higher vitamin D levels. Spend time reading in the sun, lazing on the beach, watching the sunset or exploring some of the beautiful national parks in your local area.