Ways to Use 2018 to Better Yourself Forever

It’s 2018. 

We’ve put the Christmas trees out to the curb, celebrated New Year’s and made resolutions, and depending on where you live — have gotten hit with the year’s first snow. 

The excitement is about to settle down, which means we’re left with another year. 

Are you going to allow it to be just “another year” or are you going to make it the best year of your life?

This isn’t a pipedream because you have everything you need inside to make this year as great as it can be, as long as you have the desire to. What’s more, you’ll be able to do this in a way that transforms your life for the better, not just in 2018, but forever. 

Start with these three benchmarks to see your life change for the better. 

1. Live in the moment

They say that feelings of depressed dread come about when living in the past, while tense anxiety and apprehension manifest when you’re thinking too far ahead into the future. 

Relax. 

When all things are weighed out, the only thing you have is right now. Because you lived every moment of your past in the moment, and when the “future” gets here, it’s your present self that will be experiencing it. If you walk around with your head in the clouds, you’ll miss out on life’s most important moments. 

Hopefully, during the holidays you had time to actually take time off and unwind with the people you love, as opposed to wondering what you’re missing at work or dreading the fact that the holidays will be over soon. 

By taking a deep breath and allowing yourself to be “here”, you’re better able to bring your best self to every interaction. That’s when your authentic self comes out and you’re able to be creative. 

This will allow you to come up with that next business idea or spend more meaningful time with your kids. 

Experts suggest that 2018 is rife with business opportunity, so don’t miss yours by missing the present moment.

2. Take care of your health 

Yeah, yeah, have a new year’s resolution of losing 50 pounds and getting washboard abs. 

While that’s all fine and good, recognize that the most important thing to keep in mind is that your health is crucial. Close to 10% of the population has diabetes, so you’re not doing yourself any favors by carrying around unnecessary weight and eating poorly. 

You don’t have to fix it all at once, but make sure that you do what you can to improve your diet and move your body. 

Even going for a walk every day is better than nothing. Drinking water instead of soda is a tremendous step. 

Start small, progress a little bit every day and forgive yourself for falling short. 

3. Make 2018 a year of learning

With 80% of households having access to high-speed internet, there’s no excuse to not be learning. 

While there’s nothing wrong with browsing social media and message boards or watching funny videos, make sure that you’re using the internet to teach you something and make you better. 

There are countless opportunities to read and learn about any subject that you’d like. You can even watch entire college course lectures from Ivy League schools free of charge. 

The information is out there to help you build whatever life you’d like, so take time every single day to know more than you knew the day before. 

There you have it. If you start with these three tips, you’re guaranteed to make your 2018 as fruitful as it can possibly be.