It is the 9th day into 2019 and how is it going so far? Have you ditch that new year resolution or did you even have one to begin with? Being motivated can be tough especially when we are bogged with everyday routines. How do we break the cycle and experience new things? Here is a suggestion, why don’t you start small. Something that you can do throughout the year. It is those little things that can eventually give you more confidence to do bigger things in the future.
This isn’t a resolution per se but something simple that you can do to shake up your routine for a bit.
- Wake up with intentions it will be a good day. A way to train your brain to think positively. If you do this with your children, you get to know they personality a little bit better everyday. Instil positive behavior in them and at the same time you get to communicate about their inner thoughts as well.
- Write one thing you are grateful for per se and place in a jar every night before going to bed. Read this on 31 December of that year. We tend to remember bad memories but and the good ones are easily forgotten. This is a good way to realize that joy and happiness comes from everyday events and not just from big milestones.
- Listen to new music. There are many online music streaming platform like Pandora and Spotify. I was traveling on the train and sat besides an elderly women who was on her way back back from the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She gave me a wonderful piece of advice; to try and listen to classical music. At time my taste of music was very limited to everything pop like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake and classical was not one of the consideration. I went back and listened to it. I can’t say I have become an expert on classical music now but I have better appreciation for it. It helps me to on unwind and never fails to jumpstart my brain when I am stuck on ideas. It is my go to music when I need inspiration. Sometimes bad rap music is also able to give you some good laughs! Give it a go.
- Visit The National Visual Arts Gallery (www.artgallery.gov.my) and Bank Negara Museum and Art Gallery www.museumbn.gov.my, These two places are free to visit. Enrich your mind with some art at the Arts Gallery and learn about the history of currencies at Bank Negara Museum. It is a wonderful place to check out where you gain knowledge and have some fun at the same time.
- Be active about caring for the environment. Always place empty containers in the car and use them when you buy food at your night market or restaurant. If you are not used to it, it may feel strange in the beginning, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. It is also a good way to educate others about the effort to reduce the usage of plastics.
- Make your own soap. This is a fun family activity. Check out YouTube for different videos in making these soaps. Go get creative.
- Social media fast on the weekend at least once a month. Being offline can be beneficial as it put things in perspective on how we spend our time. It enables us to do enjoy other things like reading, gardening, writing rather than staring at the phone screen. Discover fun things outside the world wide web.
- Pick up the phone and call someone for no reason once a week. With technology especial text messaging people hardly talk to each other. A simple gesture of talking to someone can make the other person feels appreciated.
- Sit still and listen to your breathing. Not exactly meditation but give yourself a break. No running around, no activities. Just sit down for 5 minutes and listen to your breaths. That 5 minutes can rejuvenate and able to reduce your stress levels. Be in the present.