TL;DR – 2021 might finally be the year to bring a ‘new YOU’ if you are mindful enough to avoid the bad habits of 2020!
‘New Year, New Me’, right? Every 1st January, many of us start off excited about our new years’ resolutions only for the excitement to die down somewhere in March, if we’re lucky, June. Let’s be honest to ourselves: how many of us actually checked off everything on our own “New Year Resolution” list?
In this extraordinary year shrouded by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of us might have started to realise that many things have been taken everything for granted, which explains the difficulty some face in adapting to the “new normal”. As we leave behind 2020 and step into 2021, it’s still important to reflect on what has happened in your life, not just what is happening around the world, or in Singapore. Reflect on your achievements, failures, ups and downs. No matter how big or how small, however many or however little, taking time to reflect helps us to declutter our mind, take note of progress and chart a path forward.
So if you want to have a successful year ahead, it’s time to “Marie-Kondo” your mind, removing negative habits, patterns and thoughts that do not “spark joy”. Here are 5 things that you should get rid of from your life.
Number 1: Self Doubt
Guilty of handing yourself a “death sentence” even before you try? For the beginners, instead of “I can’t”, start telling yourself “I’ll try”. As you move on, gradually change it to “I will”. You’ll be surprised how this little change can impact your life. That being said, stop doubting your capabilities, or comparing yourself with others.
Always wanted to switch careers, but have deep reservations in your mind? Having the idea of switching jobs is already the first step, so why not take another? You are more than capable to make the career switch. Speak to a career coach today and receive advise on developing your self-awareness, understand your career interests and preferences, recognizing your work motivations, strengths and weakness to employment. e2i’s career coaches will also help you navigate the uncertain employment and training landscape in these uncertain times too.
Number 2: Overspending
In our day and age of social media, it seems impossible to not compare yourself with family, friends, colleagues and even celebrities. It gets you into trying to keep up with … That Chanel purse, the fancy gym membership, or the fancy-a** Staycation. Loving the parcels that arrive at your house all day every day? You might want to review your spending habits if you realise you’re always purchasing things that you do not actually need.
Here’s a tip. Whenever you see something you like online, add it to your “wishlist” first before you make the purchase. Wait for a week and look back at this particular item you thought you need. Did you really need it, or it was an impulse of the moment? Why not stash some money and treat yourself to a staycation, together with the $100 SingapoRediscovers Vouchers? You’ve got till 30 Jun 2021 to treat yourself with your savings and this $100 worth of vouchers. More details here: https://singaporediscovers.life.gov.sg/
Number 3: Toxic Relationships
Toxic friendships and relationships play a huge role when it comes to people, businesses and plans remaining stagnant. If you feel like you have not been moving forward in life, stop and take a look at your surroundings and ask yourself “Who am I associating myself with?”. If you’re comfortable, contented with your current relationships, that’s excellent. But if there are relationships bothering you, you should be decisive and act on it. Only you can best decide what’s acceptable and what’s not. From there, it’s up to you to decide whether to try to repair, or cut off the relationship.
Number 4: Overextending Yourself and Succumbing to Obligations
The changes to work and living in 2020 has undoubtedly added more stress to some of our already stressed lifestyles. Now that we’ve moved on to Phase 3 of safe reopening, many activities are gradually returning to “normal”. With the added festive season, I’m sure many long-time friends would be asking for gatherings or meals.
If you happen to get an overwhelming amount of invitations, don’t feel too bad for rejecting some of them. Remember, being ‘free’ doesn’t mean you are ‘available’ – your friends should understand that too. Take the time saved to perhaps “blank out” at home, or take a walk at the beach. Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted! As a Chinese saying goes, the purpose of resting is to gather energy for the extensive journey in life ahead.
Number 5: Procrastination
Hey, don’t look away or close this tab! I know you’re guilty of procrastination, but who’s not?
Procrastination raises many questions in our minds, about the choices we make. Why do we choose to spend time in A rather than dealing with B, which is more important/urgent? It all boils down to the commonality of being human. Nobody likes painful feelings (physical and mental) and we all actually just want to be happy with the choices we make. Read up more on procrastination here.
Now, I’m sure there’s always things we wanted to learn, such as a new skill, a new hobby, or a makeover. It ended up getting shelved away, right? Why not do yourself a favour, start the new year right by committing yourself to just one course? Here are some courses from NTUC LearningHub you’ll probably take interest in:
- Graphic Design & Illustration Using Adobe Illustrator
- Basic To Intermediate Adobe Photoshop
- Setting Up And Running A Business
- Emerging Technology Synthesis
Before you close this tab and procrastinate this task again… why not sign up for one of the courses right now?
2021 might finally be the year to bring a ‘new YOU’ if you are mindful enough 🙂