Happy New Year! 10 Tips to WERK 2017!

Happy New Year!
I know many people are glad that 2016 is over. It was not as sweet as we may have intended. There were so many changes and surprises that no one could ever prepare to deal with. Now that we are in a new year, we have a chance to start fresh. We have a chance finish what we started and slay our goals and intentions.
So what do we need to do to prepare to have an amazing 2017, we need to WERK

Here are 10 Tips to Help You WERK 2017
  1. Keep a Blessing Jar. Through out the year, deliberately write a note of all of the blessings that happen. Write them down on a post-it or slip of paper and place them in a jar. At the end of the year, read all of your blessings so you can see how far you’ve come. I use a mason jar.
  2. Declutter Your Life!– This means get rid of the people, places, things, thoughts, and habits that do not add value to your life. If it does not add value it is taking up unnecessary space for something that does.
  3. Get Rest!- If your sleep is off, everything is off. I know celebrities and people on social media will have you thinking that if you are sleeping you are not working hard enough. Don’t listen to them. If you are not well rested you are not functioning at your full capacity, so get some rest!
  4.  Keep a Gratitude Journal– Similarly to the blessing jar, keep a journal where you write things that you are grateful for on a daily basis. It does not have to be a lengthy journal entry, but this will help you focus on the positive things in your life, even when everything seems like it is going wrong.
  5. Pray Daily– If you have been following my blog since my Her Goody Bag days, you know that my faith is extremely important to me. Prayer has to become an integral part of your every day life. This is our time to not only speak to God, but also hear his voice.
  6. Exercise! #Summer17 will be here in no time and we cannot roll up to summer in our winter bodies. Don’t only exercise to look good naked (although that is important) exercise to de-stress. Exercising will give you more energy and help clear your mind.
  7. Do Things that Make You Smile– If getting a manicure makes you smile do that often. If spending time with family makes you smile do that more often. Life is too short for you not to enjoy it. So each day, week, month, do something that makes you smile. It doesn’t have to cost you any money. So make a list of things that make you smile and be intentional about dong those things often.
  8. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff- Sometimes we get caught up in the little things that happen that do not go our way. We can’t live in those moments. The Blessing Jar and Gratitude Journal should help with you focusing on the positive and not the negative.
  9. Forgive Yourself and Others– This is huge if you want to be successful in any aspect of life. Sometimes we do things that we are not proud of, or we make decisions that aren’t the best, but we can’t live in that guilt. We have to forgive ourselves for poor decisions, failures, etc. This is extremely difficult, but you do not want to be in mental, or emotional bondage because you can’t forgive yourself. The same goes for forgiving other people. Let’s face it people can be PETTY. People can do things that will cause relationships and trust to be broken. You have to forgive others. Although you are forgiving other people, forgiveness is for yourself. When you hold grudges you are keeping yourself in bondage, so FORGIVE to be set free.
  10. Always be PRESENT– In the age of social media we are rarely present. We are on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook either reading about someone else’s life (Social media is only a small snippet of what someone else’s life is like). I am guilty of this. I was at brunch on Saturday with my family and I was focused on Snapchat rather than enjoying the company of my family. Be PRESENT physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is ok to unplug. Whatever is on the internet will still be there (Even if it’s only for 24hrs). You do not want to miss important moments or conversations because you are plugged in and not present. So go back to #2 and declutter your life so that you can be present.
I am excited for 2017. I’m excited to apply all that I know so that I can really live my best life.

Are you ready to WERK 2017?

About Janique

Janique is an educational professional in the New York City area. She is a teacher by nature and uses her writing to express her thoughts and feelings on topics ranging from personal faith to trendy fashion.

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