Happy New You - It's a Brand New Year

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because

if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something.”

- Neil Gaiman

Let's be honest - 2022 was a rough year. If you're anything like me, you're ready for a new start in 2023.

The beginning of a new year is a time of hope and enthusiasm. Even if you just completed a challenging year, it’s natural to entertain the possibility of something better. It’s common to start the year with several lofty resolutions. After all, it’s exciting to contemplate a life with more money, greater love, and fewer pounds. A Paris vacation sounds nice, too!

Sadly, few resolutions are ever realized. Health clubs are packed with new members for a couple of weeks. Half of those new members are never seen again after two weeks, and 95% are gone within a month.

We quickly forget our resolutions.

This year can be different! A systematic approach can make all the difference.

If you’ve failed to make meaningful changes to your life, you’re in luck! In this report, you can discover a process that’s guaranteed to work if you’re diligent. Where will you start? We hope with Mavericks Fitness, but we're here to provide some steps anyone can follow.

Evaluate Your Life

A famous golf coach once said that it’s impossible to create a good golf swing without evaluating a client’s current situation. Likewise, how will you know where to go if you don’t know where you are? It’s not possible to develop an intelligent and effective plan of attack without evaluating your current situation. So where are you?

Determine the Low-Rated Areas of Your Life

It’s the deficiencies in your life that limit your happiness. You’re not unhappy because:

• You live in a 2 bedroom apartment instead of a 5,000 square foot house with a view.

• You’re not partnered to a supermodel.

• You don’t own a $200-pair of shoes.

• You drive a Honda Civic instead of Mercedes.

• You don’t have a million dollars in the bank.

• You don't have the body of a Greek god or goddess.

• You only have 4 friends instead of 40.

You may be unhappy because:

• You are unsafe.

• You're alone

• You can't afford your basic needs.

• You don't have reliable transportation.

• You don't have an emergency fund.

• Your health is at-risk.

• You're 50 pounds overweight.

That’s not to say you can’t make any part of your life spectacular. However, dealing with the most challenging aspects of your life first will result in the greatest return on your time. Focus on these low-rated parts of your life.

Finding a few friends can do more to enhance your life than buying a sailboat if your social life disappoints you.

Try this 3-step process to determine the parts of your life that would make the biggest difference for you if you were to change them:

1. Think about your average day and record your thoughts. A few examples might include:

• “My alarm is going off, and I can’t stand the thought of getting out of bed.”

• “I’m afraid I won’t make it to work because I can’t afford gas until I get paid.”

• “I have to sit alone at night because I don’t have anyone to spend time with.”

• “I only have two pairs of pants that fit because I’ve gained so much weight.”

• “I hate my job.”

• “I wish I could go back to school.”

• “I’m tired of my girlfriend/boyfriend.”

2. Complete this exercise with a weekday, weekend day, and holiday. Try to cover all the bases. Your dissatisfactions during the week might be different that those you face on the weekend.

3. On a scale of 1 to 10, rank each item. A “10” is perfect. It couldn’t be better. A “1” is as bad as you can imagine.

You don’t need a personal jet to be happy and fulfilled. The low-rated areas of your life are weighing you down. Examine your life and rate the various aspects on a 1-10 scale.

Now that you've evaluated the areas of your life, stay tuned for tomorrow's post to learn how to prioritize what you want to change for maximum effect.