Every year around this time of the year, there is an incredible energy and enthusiasm for a brand New Year. And I share in your same excitement. I believe it’s because of the opportunity to start fresh. To start new. And to dream big dreams and cast out a wonderful vision. And to set strategy in place so that you can work like mad to make your dreams become a reality.
For the past few years, I’ve been sharing ideas on how YOU can create your biggest & BEST year yet. And I always receive positive feedback and comments on it. I love reading your thoughts to see which ones MOST RESONATE with you (please share at the bottom of the blog) and which ones are going to MOST help you craft up your best year and your best life.
Without further ado, here is my latest & greatest 2015 edition of “115 Ways to make 2015 your BEST year yet.”
1. Be the most positive person you know.
2. Get 1% better everyday.
3. Define your “game-changing” move in 2015. Then get it done!
4. Take more risks.
5. Do something that scares you everyday. It’s OK to be scared!
6. Regardless of your title at work, be a team-builder.Thank you Robin Sharma!
7. Remember that business is about relationships & connections.
8. People need motivation, accountability, and know-how. Deliver it to them.
9. Write your eulogy and then live your life backwards.
10. Know your “Big 5 for the Year.” These are the 5 most important things that you need to make happen by the end of 2015 to truly make it the best year of your life.
11. Read your “Big 5 for Life” every morning. These are the 5 things that you MOST want to accomplish in your lifetime.
12. Post affirmations on your bathroom mirror.
13. Don’t focus on making money; focus on creating value.
14. Leaders execute & get results. No excuses.
15. Strive to be ‘World Class’ in all you do.
16. Read “The 4 Agreements” by Dom Miguel Ruiz.
17. Train like a pro athlete; exercise more. No one has EVER regretted a great workout.
18. 6-pack abs are made in the kitchen. Eat higher quality foods, eat every 3 hours, and eat for fuel—not for comfort!
19. Get a massage one time per week. Or one time per month.
20. Do a cleanse at least one time per year.
21. Attend 1 destination spa vacation per year.
22. Have at least one other “dream” vacation per year.
23. Create your “WLWL” (When Life Works List). What were you doing when life was working best? Thank you Sean Stephenson.
24. Be obsessed with learning. 30 minutes minimum per day. That can be reading, watching DVD’s, listening to podcasts, attending workshops and conferences, spending time with mentors or leaders in your industry.
25. Be impeccable with your words; don’t complain, gossip, or be negative.
26. Thoroughbreds like hanging out with thoroughbreds—they don’t like hanging out with donkeys. Be careful with who you surround yourself with. Just as much as the right people can push you up, the wrong crowd can bring you down. Thank you Dave Ramsey.
27. Plan as if you will live forever but live as if you’ll die tomorrow.
28. If you do not have a will, powers of attorney, disability insurance, and life insurance (if you are married and have kids), you must get it done. Thank you Tom Dexter.
29. Say ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘I love you’ more.
30. Give someone a massage.
31. Write love-letters like you used to.
32. Call up someone you always wanted to talk to but never thought you could.
33. Call up an old coach or teacher and thank them for positively impacting your life.
34. If you want to resolve a conflict, call them instead of emailing them.
35. Write a hand-written note to a client or customer.
36. When you travel, send letters to your kids on hotel stationary.
37. If you want more, GIVE more.
38. Do or do not, there is no try.
39. “The way you do one thing… is the way you do everything.” Thank you Tom Davin.
40. Journal. What are you thankful for? What are your intentions for the day? Whom do you pray for today? Where were you outstanding today?
41. Clarity precedes genius. You can find clarity in writing and in times of solitude.
42. Track your success.
43. Slow down in order to speed up.
44. Be willing to fail. It’s the price of greatness.
45. Spend at least 10 minutes every AM in quiet time, prayer time, or meditation time. Trust me, this little “best practice” is truly one of the BEST things you can do for yourself.
46. Listen to inspirational music. Create your favorite play list for chilling out as well as working out.
47. Listen to books on tape and podcasts.
48. Read The IMPACT Body Plan! (Haha. I had to get that in there!)
49. Read the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey
50. Read Robin Sharma. The Leader Without a Title; The Greatness Guide; The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.
51. Read “Success Magazine” published by Darren Hardy. Then listen to the free audio CD.
52. Watch the Rocky “marathon” with your kids on a rainy day.
53. Do what you do best and hire the rest.
54. Never settle for less than you are worth. Remember, you are worth it!
55. Sometimes good is good enough. Don’t let “perfectionism” rob you of getting things done.
56. “Color code your life” says my mentor, Wayne Cotton. Green machine, blue sky, red tape, and mellow yellow. Visit www.nobrowndays.com for more information.
57. Complete a 90 Day Wonder. What have I accomplished in the last 90 days? What are my current challenges? What will I accomplish in the next 90 days?
58. Problems help create beneficial rearrangements.
59. “Fear, frustration, and failure are overcome by faith, focus, forward-motion, and follow-through.” Absolutely brilliant, Wayne Cotton!
60. Remember the 10,000 hour rule. It often takes about 10,000 hours or 10 years to be recognized as an “expert.” #GetWorking
61. Success takes time. Be patient, but continually invest in yourself.
62. Focus on the PROCESS… not the product.
63. Work more ON your business, not more IN your business.
64. Your big ideas typically come when you are sitting on a beach or skiing in the mountains.
65. Hire only “A” rate players; otherwise you will have an organization made up of average people creating a mediocre business.
66. Cut the bottom 10% of your players.
67. Everyone in an organization should be considered a “leader.”
68. Always believe in your dreams, even when they don’t seem possible or other people doubt you.
69. WTF—“What the FOCUS!!!” (Thank you Trina Gray). If you want serious results in your life, narrow & deepen your FOCUS and work your tail off until you accomplish what you desire.
70. Hard-work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Don’t get out-worked in 2015!
71. “Water people everyday”—lift people up instead of tearing people down.
72. One quick “No” is better than 10 “maybe’s” or “I don’t know’s.” Thank you Randy Hetrick, founder and creator of the TRX…and friend for life.
73. Win the day!
74. Remember what Walt Disney said, “Everything speaks!”
75. Be more spontaneous.
76. Develop a hobby.
77. The bigger the dream, the more important the team.Thank you Kevin Plank, founder and CEO, Under Armour.
78. “Your attitude determines your altitude!” –Zig Ziglar
79. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just run your own race and be the BEST version of you!
80. Speak more, write more, read more.
81. Turn OFF your TV!
82. Eliminate excuses.
83. Organize your time more effectively.
84. “Eat that Frog” says Brian Tracy. Do the things that you don’t like to do but need to do, early in your day.
85. Be part of a Mastermind Group. It will accelerate your results, positively affect your mindset, allow you to work “ON” your business, and provide you fertile soil in which to grow. Visit www.ToddDurkin.com for more information.
86. Volunteer 4 hours a month to a service organization or non-profit that speaks to you.
87. If you are dining out, make a reservation at a different ethnic theme restaurant once a month. By the end of the year, you will have had 12 international cuisines and a better appreciation for food and culture.
88. Spend 2 focused hours in any museum… you will learn something new.
89. Find a way to become more active in your church of choice… it will help you get to know people who worship there with you better.
90. Pick an exercise monitoring tool and start using it for yourself and your clients: Armour39, Fitbit, HR monitor, BodyBug, etc.
91. Save all your spare change in 3 green holders; 1 in your car, 1 in your office, 1 at your home. Cash it in on December 10th each year and use for the holidays.
92. Plan one spontaneous outing on a weekend for your spouse or significant other.
93. Read “Start with the WHY: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” by Simon Sinek. #Game-Changer
94. Read “The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone. #ThinkBig
95. Write out a bucket list with 50 things on it that you want to do before you die. And be sure to check off at least one thing each year.
96. What can you eliminate from your schedule or stop doing that is currently robbing you of your time and energy?
97. Do more of what you love to do and what makes your soul sing.
98. Action is like gas in the car. Without it, you will not go. READY…FIRE…and then AIM!
99. Write down your “BHAG” for 2015. That is your “BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS, GOAL.” And then do it!
100. Define a theme for your year and LIVE IT every day.
101. 525,600 minutes in 2015. What are you going to do with them? Make sure you make the most of each of them.
102. Be humble…be hungry!
103. If you’re happy, notify your face!
104. Keep asking yourself throughout the day, “What is the MOST IMPORTANT thing I can do with my time right now?” And then do that!
105. When you need to get over something, say “NEXT” and MOVE ON!
106. It’s not WHAT is in your life that is important…it’s WHO is in your life that is most important.
107. Do NOT turn on your mobile phone first thing in the AM. Establish your morning routine, do that, and then turn on your phone.
108. You can’t out-train a bad diet. Clean it up. Get rid of the sugars. Eat more lean protein, complex carbs, and essential fatty acids. Eliminate fried foods.
109. Have one “Greens Drink” a day. Spinach, kale, apple, banana, coconut water and a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
110. Hire a coach. Heck, even the Dali Lama has a spiritual coach. Maybe you need a trainer (yes, even trainers need trainers!). Maybe it’s a nutritionist. Maybe it’s a business coach or a life coach. Get more accountability, additional focus, and increased results.
111. Get Your Mind Right! Don’t allow “Stinking Thinking” (thank you Dave Ramsey) into your head. What you watch, what you read, who you surround yourself with, who you learn from, ALL counts.
112. Remove any energy vampires from your life. They are robbing you of precious ENERGY!
113. Sign up for your “Dose of Durkin” delivered every Monday morning to your email or mobile phone. It will help you jumpstart your week and help you get your mind right. Opt-in at www.DoseofDurkin.com.
114. Train hard…Eat right…Live inspired…And CREATE IMPACT!!!
115. “When you have your health, you have 1,000 dreams. When you don’t, you only have one.” –Indian Proverb
116. Live by the mantra, “AND THEN SOME.” Always do more than is expected. I had to get the “extra point” in there.
BAM! I hope that there are at least 5-10 points that really SPEAK to you and inspire you to create your best year. Write them down, highlight them, post them, share them, and make sure you DO THEM. And please feel free to share which ones you like best with me below in the comments section.
My friends, I’m excited to continue motivating and inspiring you to help you craft your BEST year and your BEST life. Let’s do this!
Happy New Year and let’s truly make 2015 the BEST year of YOUR LIFE!
Much love… and much IMPACT!!!
Todd
Todd Durkin is an internationally-recognized performance trainer, speaker, and author. He is the Lead Training Advisor for Under Armour and presents motivational and educational talks worldwide to a wide-array of audiences.
Todd recently created a FREE program called www.DoseofDurkin.com, where he delivers short motivational & inspirational messages directly to your phone/email every Monday AM at 6 am to help you get your mind right. Opt-in today and start receiving your weekly DOSE.
He can be reached on Twitter @ToddDurkin, FB LIKE page at ToddDurkinFQ10, or email him at durkin@fitnessquest10.com. You can sign up for his FREE monthly newsletter at www.ToddDurkin.com
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