It’s been a while since anyone could begin a new year with any sort of real optimism. After all, there’s been a lot to deal with over the past few years, most notably the coronavirus, which made any sort of planning next to impossible.

However, after a turbulent couple of years, it feels like we might just be getting to a stage where we experience smooth sailing for a little while. And that means that we can actually set some high standards for 2023.

We could all do with a good year. So why not aim high? The higher we aim, the higher we’ll land. In this blog, we’ll run through some useful tips that’ll have you on the right path toward an exceptional year.

Photo, Meghan Holmes.

Start As You Mean To Go On

How you spend your January will set the tone for how you spend the rest of your year. So it’s a good idea to get off on the right foot. You don’t need to do anything overly grand to make January amazing; it’s all about putting the habits in place that’ll put you in a position to enjoy 2023 later on down the line.

Starting new healthy habits, cooking meals, and meditating, as well as having a positive attitude, will all offer benefits.

Push Yourself Out Of Your Comfort Zone

If you want to get somewhere that you’ve never been before, then you’ll need to do something that you’ve never done before. Most people shy away from doing this because they’re afraid they’ll fail, or they’re just afraid in general. But in nearly all cases, no one regrets stepping outside of their comfort zone.

It could be a matter of tapping a dance class, visiting a destination by yourself, or overcoming a fear. You’ll find that there was nothing to be afraid of after all, and you might just get something highly rewarding from the experience.

Photo, Rémi Walle.

Give Back

We’ve all had to focus on ourselves in the past few years. We’ve been in survival mode. But now that everything is more or less OK, it’s worthwhile looking at ways in which we can help others. There’s real value in doing so — studies have repeatedly shown that helping others boosts happiness and confidence levels.

Plus — the main thing — you’ll be helping other people. There’s no shortage of ways you can help. You could look at making some tax deductible donations to worthy causes, for instance. Or you could volunteer your time to help people in your local area.

If you don’t have much time or money to spare, then you could also just look at doing a daily random act of kindness. It’ll have a positive impact on the world!

Learn or Improve a Skill

It feels that being young isn’t inherently better — it’s just that the range of things that we do is wider, and thus life is more interesting. Adults would probably be a lot happier if they got to do twelve different things a day. Instead, most people end up just doing one thing — and not just each day, but each year. You are more than your job. This year, why not look at learning a skill that has nothing to do with employment? There are plenty of fun and interesting hobbies you can pick up that’ll brighten up your day.

Improve Your Health

No one who takes the time to get their health in shape ends up regretting their decision. Quite the opposite. Many say that it’s the best decision they ever made. How you improve your health will depend on where you’re starting from. It could mean joining a gym and getting into shape or joining a yoga studio and making yourself more flexible.

It can be difficult to begin the journey toward improved health, but it’s a journey that’s worth taking. In the process, you’ll look better, have more energy, and will certainly feel a lot better.

Prioritise Fun, Health, and Happiness

As we said at the beginning of the article, we’ve all had a pretty tough couple of years. It has been difficult to really live life to the fullest. We’ve just been trying to get through it. But this year can be different, if you want it to be. Rather than just waiting for happiness and fun to come your way, look at making it a priority. The time for waiting is over — this year, we can throw ourselves into all the goodness that life normally makes available to us.