A New Year is always a good time to set yourself some goals and to feel motivated about the year ahead.
A lot of people see a New Year as a fresh start. Which is fine, but what I want to get across in today's blog, is that you shouldn't wish for a 'new you.'
It saddens me how many people I hear say, 'New Year, New Me.' No matter who you are, you definitely don't need to be a new you! If you're not happy with some of the decisions you made in 2016, you might need to become a better version of you, but definitely not a NEW you.
No one else is YOU, so why try and be someone else? Think about people that you admire. It might be a celebrity, or a local hero, it might be your mum or a friend. Well, guess what? Someone looks up to you too. I know some of you are thinking, 'pfft, no they don't,' well stop it, because they do! You might not even know this someone, it might be someone you pass on your morning walk everyday that admires your hair, or your motivation. I used to absolutely admire this girl who worked in a local clothes store. I was infatuated (not in a creepy way) by her style, and her personality. But she had no idea! Everyone is admired in some way or form and that's what makes you special and different.
The next thing is, don't be ashamed of 2016. We all make mistakes, and sometimes do things we aren't proud of. But don't beat yourself up about it and never think of any year as a waste.
Another topic that seemed to be trending online this year was how horrible 2016 was. When bad things happen, it's so important to learn from these things, and take them as a lesson. Negative situations only help you grow. If we didn't have negative situations, we wouldn't have positive situations. If we didn't feel sad at times, we wouldn't know how good it felt to be happy. If you dwell on 'how bad 2016 was,' or how you 'shouldn't have done that,' or 'shouldn't have done this,' then you are only attracting more bad things to come your way for 2017.
Change your tune. Be thankful for 2016. Be thankful for how you felt, and for what you learned. Today, you are better than yesterday, and you are only going to keep growing. You are human, everyone makes mistakes, everyone looses their temper, everyone is lazy at times. THAT'S LIFE! BUT make an effort in 2017 to improve. Try your hardest to be a betterVERSION OF YOU, not a NEW YOU!
TIPS TO BE A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF:
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Help more: In the community, with your family, your housemates etc.
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Donate: Donate your time or money to good causes.
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See rubbish on the street? Pick it up!
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Only 'like' and post positive things on the internet. (I will never understand the dislike button on Youtube, and I never understand why people post comments to make other people feel uncomfortable.)
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DO NOT put others down to make yourself feel better. RAISE other people up, encourage and inspire!
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The minute you're feeling angry, take a breath, go for a walk, make an effort to do whatever you can to calm down.
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Do things that make you happy, because when you're happy you're already a better version of yourself.
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See the good in everyone.
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Make a conscious effort not to get jealous. It's natural, but everyone is different and on their own paths.
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Everyone is fighting their own battle, so don't judge a book by it's cover.
Cleo xx
Feb 2, 2017