It’s a New Year everybody!
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling 2024 for everyone involved. I hope everyone finds the peace and happiness and joy that they so deeply deserve. For me, 2023 has been a set of ups and downs (which is probably not just unique to myself I’m sure).
Since it’s the very start of the New Year and everyone probably seems to have that sudden burst of motivation right now, it’s important to get on the right track as soon as possible and develop those good habits consistently that can inevitably compound your life in the right direction.
For me, I’ve seen some growth this past year (although there is still a long way to go). And many of the habits that I’ve adopted are honestly not rocket science. If you simply google “how to live a healthy life”, you will often get the same few couple of answers over and over again. You can probably already guess what some of these habits or answers are that help you have a better life.
Getting enough sleep. Exercising. Drinking more water. And eating a clean diet. Yes, and there is more. Much, much more. But I think it’s important to start small and build your way upwards. For me, two things that I realize that I must do almost every day is to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy diet. Ideally, every single day.
Those are my two “non-negotiables”. Because when I don’t get enough sleep (say just two to three hours the previous night), I am super cranky and hard to deal with the next day. I get easily agitated by the smallest irritation and as a result I am much more likely to lash out at somebody who honestly doesn’t deserve it.
In addition, if I were to simply eat junk food for an entire day, I also develop brain fog and would not be able to make good decisions. I feel physically weighed down and unable to coherently think at all. I honestly don’t know how people can rely on eating fast food all the time. Because ironically, sometimes the cheapest stuff to buy at the grocery store is still the fresh produce, like the fruits and vegetables that are literally the first thing you see every time you go into the grocery store. It’s actually the packaged and processed stuff that are more expensive to buy.
So yes, for me, I realize that eating healthy and getting enough sleep are my two keystone habits that I need to consistently maintain throughout the course of this year. Because then, I will have a better chance at living a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life that I deserve. And of course, everyone else deserves the same.
Because a better me leads to a better world. A more peaceful me leads to a more peaceful world. A healthier me leads to a healthier world. And of course, this is the same for everybody else.
Everyone’s keystone habits might look different depending on your unique set of circumstances. Perhaps you are an excellent writer, so maybe you can focus more on reading and writing or journalling. Perhaps you are an expert chef, so maybe you can focus more on cooking healthy meals for you and your loved ones. Try your best to utilize whatever advantage you may have and deploy it wisely to create a better world for you, your loved ones, and your entire community.
That’s the beauty of this world. There are so many passions and so many activities that you can latch on to. That you can fight for and invest in. So many needs that society has. Whatever you like, go for that, and get good at that. And inevitably, you will help society progress in the right direction.
As Mark Manson just said in his weekly newsletter today, the key to doing extraordinary things is to simply do the ordinary consistent thing every single day. So please figure out what keystone habits you can use to live a better and healthier 2024. Use this burst of motivation to develop some good everyday actions that can compound successfully over the long run.
Exercise. Eat right. Sleep. Meditate. Go out for walks. Whatever suits your fancy. Just try to do the simple things consistently and you will eventually see long-term benefits throughout your life. So, try your best and I wish you all a wonderful New Year. Continue to strive and continue to build yourself up.
Because at the end of the day, a better you can lead to a better community.