11 Things You Should Do to Start The New Year Right

Here are 11 simple things you can do to get the new year started off with a bang. If you read this and come up with more, write them down, suggest them in the comments and by all means, do them yourself. 2010 has just begun, but it will be over before you know it, so why not make it your best year ever, and get it started the right way.

1. Clean House - Do you really need that old Tupperware? How many junk drawers do you have? clear them out and make them empty drawers, don’t fill them back up with more junk. If you have an empty drawer, let it be empty.

2. Follow a diet for 3 weeks – Even if you don’t struggle with your weight, follow a serious healthy eating plan for the next 3 weeks and then see how you feel. Chances are you’ll have more energy and be more productive and focused every day.

3. Follow an exercise plan for the next 3 weeks – Again, you may be fit or happy with your weight, but regular exercise can do more than just improve your looks, it can increase energy, mental functioning and increase overall happiness and contentment.

4. Write a list of all the goals you want to achieve this year – Create an action plan and post this where you will read it every day. Do just that. Read it every morning and night and stay focused.

5. Detox from Caffeine and other stimulants for at least 1 week – As many of you know, this is one of my favorite crutches. I love coffee, and I love to just sit and sip a cup at different times during the day. This is one of my greatest challenges, but I still detox for at least 7-10 days every year and see how I feel. Eventually I go back to drinking coffee because I love the taste.

6. Change Your Hair – You don’t have to opt for a new look if you don’t want to, but even getting a trim will give you the feeling of a new fresh start, and what better time to feel like a new you than the beginning of the new year.

7. Get rid of old clothes that you don’t wear – If you only wore them once last year, get rid of them.

8. Overcome One Fear – Last year I went in fresh water that I couldn’t see the bottom of. I am still terribly afraid of lakes and rivers, just the thought of being on a lake makes me sick to my stomach. I am a good swimmer, so this is just an irrational fear. I faced it by jumping into a pool in a stream. It was approximately 20 feet deep and scared me half to drowning. I breathed in more water than I should have, but I did it. Now I know I can. What fear will you face this year?

9. Go Somewhere New This Year - even if you just go somewhere new in your city, go there and enjoy the newness of it. If you have always dreamed of visiting France, make it happen this year .

10. Stop complaining for 21 days – This is a hard one. Keep a reminder and don’t complain, especially verbally about anything. If there is no action plan following the stating of a problem, then you are just whining. Quit being a baby and look for the good things in life, if you don’t like something, either accept it, or change it.

11. Start a Gratitude Experiment - For the Next 30 days, write down 3 things you are grateful for every night before bed. It may sound lame or silly, but the results will astound you.

These 11 things will help you get a fresh start and get focused for the new year. Some are simple and some are very very difficult (like no complaining) but following them and trying each one will break you out of old habits and get you started with new ones this year.

You will only live through 2010 once, why not make it your best year ever?

Happy New Year,

Ryan M Hall

New Years Reso-What Now?

Photo by vizzzual-dot-com

As I have been interacting with people, and blogs, these past days, I have heard so many people casually ask, “What is your New Years Resolution?” I have to say, I honestly don’t have just one answer.  In fact, I have only one or two resolutions that actually fit what most people see as a standard New Years Resolution.

I’ve noticed as I’ve talked to people about what their resolutions are, that most people make vague goals that are based around ending a habit, or changing a specific area of life.  But instead of focusing on the resolution as a goal, they make the resolution and “try.”  This is so evidenced in the number of gym memberships purchased at the beginning of each January and cancelled by February.  It seems everybody ready, fires, but never aims.  Don’t get me wrong, I subscribe wholeheartedly to the “Ready, Fire, Aim” school of thought, but it seems people forget to aim, or keep the goal in mind and once they feel they have failed, like when a smoker grabs a quick cigarette, they pass it off as a failure, sweep the whole thing under the rug and say, “maybe next year.”

Why Next year?  What is that going to change?  If something is important for you to do someday, why aren’t you doing it now?  If you say lack of resources, I honestly can’t hear you.  Nothing is impossible.  If you think, or know, you don’ have the resources for a goal, get started, and if you move forward knowing you can figure it out, you will.  Every time.  Just keep that goal in mind and ask yourself better questions (more on this in a future article.)  Keep focused on the end result, and expect that you will figure it out as you go.  That is where magic happens because as you keep a mindset of expectation, you attract the resources you needed, and often from places you never even would have thought of.

So back to the subject of my New Years “Resolutions.”  What are they?  I’ll list them here.  I will probably continue to add to the list, but I have created as more of a goal list for the year than a resolution, though there are a few of those on there as well.

Here they are:

1) Become Financially Independent by December 31st, 2009.  This means that I spend less than 10-15 hours per week working to generate approximately $7500-$10,000 per month.  This is a tall order, and some would say pie in the sky, but I have read so many stories of people who have done it that I see no reason why I can’t join the crowd if I keep my eye on the goal.
2) Achieve a 10-12% Body Fat.  As many of you know, I created a diet and exercise plan that will soon launch for sale here.  I do not currently have a 10% body fat, mostly because I like to go to Wendy’s and McDonald’s more than I diet.  That being said, I look and better than I ever have, and I am stronger and healthier as well.  I intend to complete this goal by June.  I will revisit the resolutions then.
3) Learn 1 Foreign Language.  I will choose from Mandarin Chinese, German, Italian, and possibly Spanish.  The first 3 have been on my to learn list for a few years now, and the last would just be useful I think.  I will decide by January 31st and then immerse myself in the language of my choice.  If anybody speaks any of these languages and has any tips or suggestions, they would be much appreciated.
4) Meditate Every Day for at least 5 minutes.  Life gets so hectic and busy, and sometimes I just want to lay down at the end of the day and crash.  As some of you know, I started a challenge where I meditated every day for at least 15 minutes, and while I have to say that I prefer 15 minutes, my minimum is 5 that way I am certain to do it no matter what.  Usually once I’ve started, 5 turns into 15 pretty easily.  Right now all I do is listen to my breathing, and sometimes I count backwards.  If anybody has suggestions, or methods you have tried, let me know what’s worked for you.  It would be much appreciated.
5) Take 1 Vacation.  This doesn’t include a trip to Denver, CO I’ll be taking in a week and a half.  This is simple, take some time for myself and my family.  Sounds easy enough.  We’ll see.
6) Complete 1 Bucket List Item,  Probable candidates are: Audi Driving Experience, Porsche Sport Driving School, or Get my Scuba Certification.  I have yet to decide on this.  I will make the decision by June, as I feel that is when I will be best equipped to take on this challenge.  It will be a nice birthday present for me.
7) Eliminate Complaining, both mental and verbal.  This one is a challenge, but I have done the verbal part for the most part.  I noticed myself complaining earlier today, but consciously stopped myself and asked if there was another way to look at things.  This is mostly about training my thoughts to focus on the positive, or what I want from the situation, rather than the problem.  This I think will enable me to be a much happier person.
Finally…..Eliminate Yelling.  This means raising my voice in anger.  I can yell for fun any time I want.  I have found that when I am really focused on finishing a project for one of my websites, I tend to get stressed out by being home with 3 kids all day.  I am sad to admit that I have fallen back into the habit of getting loud in order to get my point across, and I don’t think this is healthy at all.  I have bucked this habit once before, last year in June I decided that whenever I wanted to yell, I would stop myself and ask, “Is there a way to respond to this situation with love?”  The answer is always yes, especially when it’s your children you’re talking about.  So I am back to that, anytime I want to yell, I will ask that question and break the pattern.  It worked before and it will work again.

That’s it so far.  I know it’s a heck of a list, but if you’re going to set a goal for the whole year, why just set one.  I’m sure I will just keep adding to the list as I think of things I’d like to accomplish this year, but I will treat this as more of a goal list than a “resolution.”

Now that I’ve put my resolutions out there, tell me yours, even if it is a small one, even if it’s big, even if it’s as simple as lose 5 lbs.  You can do it, so write it down.  Start Now.

What are your resolutions?  I want to hear them, so write them out and let me know what you’re planning to do this year.  It will be a FANTASTIC Year for all of us if we let it.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan M. Hall

I’m a Failure for Christmas!

Photo by booleansplit

I’ve eaten more cookies than I care to admit this last week, and I’ve still kept my weight off.  Have you finished any of your goals?  I finished my challenges and failed at a few of them.  Where are you?

1) Lose 20 lbs by Christmas Day
I did not actually lose the full 20 lbs.  I lost 7 lbs on the scale.  I’m down to my lowest weight of 178 lbs.  and I feel great.  I lost a belt size, and all my pants are looser, and on top of that, I have gained a significant amount of muscle.  So I am not displeased with the results.

What did I do differently?  I ate much more fat, cheated way more often.  It turns out I ended up at McDonald’s more than a few times during the 20 day trial, and I mean that I was there on days when I really shouldn’t have been.   But I enjoyed myself, and my body is noticeably different.  So I am still happy that I did this test.  I will measure, and do the test again, starting today.  I am doing another trial that will end on January 15th when I’m going on a small vacation, and I am going to eat like it’s going out of style.  We shall see what this next test brings about.  I’m excited to watch my body change even more before this diet is launched to the world.  For more information, sign up for the newsletter Here.

2) Meditate 15 minutes per Day
Simple.  This one I will continue, my life has been coming together very nicely, and I have to admit that I feel much better much more of the time than when I started this.  Things in my life have changed for the better as well.

3) 4 minute Ultra Efficient workout Every Day Until January 15th
This one I dropped.  The reason?  I’m trying to build muscles, so I also perform the ultra efficient workouts in The 20/20/20 Diet for 20 minutes twice a week, and to be honest, I’d rather perform the workouts from the 20/20/20 Diet and be healed by the next workout than continue for another 20 days without getting the full effect of the workout.  This is just a what’s more important question.  I want to build lean muscle mass to burn more fat, and by doing these 4 minute cardio sessions along with my regular exercise, I don’t think I’m going to build as much muscle as I could otherwise.  I’ll try this again soon and of course do the 4 minute cardio sporadically, but not every day no matter what.

4) Write One Page of Appreciation per day Until Christmas.  See my Gratitude Challenge
This one has been great, and I can certainly tell when I’ve done it or not.  It sure does pump me up to look for things to appreciate, I can feel my energy surging and my mood soaring.  I was quite skeptical that this little exercise could even improve my mood in any way, let alone my life, but I have to say, my life has gotten way better in ways I didn’t ever expect.  My relationships have improved, my love life is much more joyful and anything that may have bothered me before seems insignificant and distant now.  My level of happiness has improved, and I have a much better focus on what I want in my life and what steps I can take to get there.  I just feel better in almost every way.

5) Finally, Give up Coffee for 30 days.
This one I broke.    I had no problem doing it.  The first 3 days were tough and filled with anxiety, mostly because I was moody and I have my 3 children at home with me during the day, but after the initial withdrawal period, I felt fine and actually went off of caffeine completely for 2 weeks, but on Christmas day, something happened.  I was given a very nice pound of fresh Starbucks coffee.  So I had a choice to make, continue my challenge, or let my Christmas present go to waste and taste stale.  I opted for enjoying my present.  I can’t say I’m super proud that I did, because I’d love to have completed this one, but it is what it is.  I made the choice, and now I have to live with it.  perhaps after my vacation in January, I will quit caffeine again.  It may seem small to some, but it feels good to know I’m not “addicted to caffeine” and that I can just quit anytime.

I have to say, even though the two “bigger” challenges failed a bit, I’m really happy I did this, it reminded me that I have complete control of my life, and that playing the victim is just that, playing.  I can lose weight easily, I don’t “need” coffee, and anything I want to change, I can change, I just have to decide to do it and do it.

What kinds of things are you “playing victim” to?  Is there something you could change in your life that you’ve always viewed as “too hard?”  Could you change a habit for just a week, two weeks, 30 days or more.  That little change may make a huge difference in the way you feel about yourself, and you’d be surprised at how much that little boost can change your results in other areas of life.  So set a challenge for yourself, call it a new years resolution if you must, but set a challenge, write it down where you will see it each day and complete it.  You can do it if you just start it.  Starting is the hardest part, finishing will be easy.

What have you been waiting for?  Write it down and leave me a comment with your goal.

What can you start today?

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan