LET’S MAKE A PLAN FOR 2021

The year 2020 has not been the best year for all of us. With the pandemic dominating the world, it has been really hard for a lot of us to cope with the new change in everyday life.

Due to the fear of Covid-19 spreading, the Government of India announced that the country would be under lockdown from mid of March 2020. Due to this decision, everything from travelling to work and education came to a standstill. More than anyone it was the daily wage workmen who were affected the most.

Not having any source of income forced them to travel back to their native villages. As all forms of transportation came to a standstill, the daily wage workers had no other option to go back to their hometowns by walking. This walk was not a simple few hours walk, but instead, it was a walk of many days and weeks together.

All amenities and essential items depleted overnight before the enforcement of the lockdown. Even medical institutions were overflowing with patients affected by the Corona Virus. Going out of the house was a risk. All roads were devoid of people, cars, and traffic. The lockdown in India brought with it a very frightful atmosphere.

But, not everything can be in a standstill forever. Life goes on and slowly India started to unlock its cities one by one. The gravity of the situation changed from being one of fear of becoming one of adjusting and overcoming. Workplaces, malls, cinemas, and other activities started opening as well. Roads opened, and people started to continue with their daily lives. The only difference - wearing masks being a daily routine, and sanitization of one’s hands being a constant responsibility.

We are at the end of the year. New Year will come after a day. With the ending of the year,

I wish All of You a Very Healthy, Wealthy and Enjoyable New Year-2021.

(Image source: Google)

It’s time to look forward to the year that’s about to start. Let’s take the responsibility to make this year an enjoyable and fruitful year.

Let’s all take some time out from our schedules to prepare a list of changes you wish to incorporate to make your life a productive one.

These changes or your goals for the year to come should be “SMART” goals. They should include goals that are:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Realistic and

• Time-Bound.

For reference purposes, here are a few resolutions that I would like to suggest:

1. Practice Meditation Everyday: Research shows that there are many benefits to meditating. It helps you to calm down by reducing stress, it improves your mood, and it lowers anxiety. Meditation also improves your decision-making skills and it enhances your self-control.

2. Start Writing a Journal: Journaling is a very important and powerful tool. It helps you to prioritize your thoughts. Journaling is an activity that is the reflection of one’s mind. It is a mirror of one’s true feelings, wants, and desires.

3. Get in Shape: To achieve your goals, you must be fit. Joining a gym or simply brisk walking or running for some time in the day can help you exponentially. Its doctors recommended walking at least 10,000 steps every day. Living a sedentary life makes you lethargic, it makes it more likely for someone to gain weight, and it may put you at risk of health problems and depression. Yoga is a great tool to get in shape. Yogic Asanas will make you more flexible and supple. One of the best exercises that helps in overall toning is planks. It helps in strengthening one’s core. In addition to all these, eat healthy food, consuming fewer calories and if possible the practice intermittent fasting is all proven to help.

4. Quit Smoking: Cigarettes smoking is a really bad habit. It becomes rather difficult for many people to refrain from this bad habit. Smoking is very harmful to health and should be stopped as early as possible.

5. Reduce alcohol intake considerably: It is said that a drink or two per day of alcohol is completely safe. But, many people abuse this daily consumption. Many families are ruined because of this drinking habit that one of the members inculcates. One should lower the intake of alcohol or stop completely.

6. Read More Books: Books give you knowledge that helps you become wiser. Books teach you to see life through a different perspective, and depending on the book it can make you feel an array of emotions. Most famous readers have one habit in common, they read books abundantly. Set a reading goal for next year. The minimum reading qualification for a book reader is 24 books per year.

7. Learn a New Language: Learning new languages is always a fresh and exciting experience. Moreover, learning a new language can easily come in handy in different situations. Learning an Indian language or other foreign languages is in great demand. French, German, Spanish, Japanese, are some of the top languages learnt in the world. Nowadays, learning a language is a free process thanks to the internet.

8.Earn More Money: You can earn a little extra money by working part-time after your office hours. There are many openings which require your services at a particular cost. An additional source of income makes things more comfortable and gives pride to the earner.

9. Restrict Your Time on Social Media and Television: An honest request to those who are always addicted to screens, is to stop looking at false, nonsensical, and time-consuming media. Make your social media dynamic with positivity and knowledge. An hour or two on social media or specific schedule for the same can do wonders to the life of a person. A break from social media can help you concentrate on tasks and re-connect with family and friends.

10. Watch less TV: The average person wastes a lot of time in front of the TV, time that could have been better spent developing skills, learning or keeping your body active. Once you cut down TV time, you will realize just how long and productive a day can actually be. For all these activities, you should have a fixed time slot every day.

11. Meet New People: People are like books that come with their own stories and experiences. Meeting new people can be advantageous to your mental well-being. It may help you to grow in your career. Introduce, meet, and learn from people. These meetings and interactions are what enrich the life of a person.

12. Stop Procrastinating: Procrastination is the main hurdle which distracts you from achieving your goal. It’s a cruel habit to have. Everyone is comfortable with the way that they are and they prefer to stay within their comfort zone. Fun work is always preferred over hard work. However, once we get used to this, it becomes difficult to break the habit. When it comes to a task, you must be very serious about it. Positive thinking is a must. Work passionately; get joy and happiness from what you’re doing. Your work should be your passion, and it should be fun. You may read David Allen’s bestselling book - Getting Things Done for better understanding on how not to procrastinate.

13. Pick up a Hobby: Hobbies can reduce stress, boost brainpower, and it helps to enhance your ability to focus. Hobbies give you a feeling of pleasure as you do it. Hobbies are activities that are meant to keep you engaged and happy at the same time.

14. Learn Something New Each Day: Decide to learn something new every day. You may try a new recipe, flower arrangement, or something that you would not normally do. Learning something new keeps your brain engaged and active. It helps you to imbibe and learn new things that may eventually prove to be helpful in the future. Learning something new, even if it’s just a word is helpful.

15. Get More Organized: Everyone has the same hours per day at his/her disposal. Everyone always has a certain number of free hours during the day. The utilization of these hours is dependent on the individual himself/herself. If you manage this time properly, you will feel like it is a day that has been spent well, a day where some concrete work has been achieved. Having organizational skills will help you develop more spare time and it will help you feel delighted in what you’ve achieved. Organize your home and office in such a way that you will find things instantly. This will help save your valuable time.

16. Reinvent Yourself:

(Image source: Google)

All days are not the same in any person’s life. With good days, bad days are bound to occur. You are jammed and you have to learn how to reinvent yourself. Amitabh Bachchan, a great Hindi movie star was bankrupt right after he debuted. He was begging for work before he was offered the role of hosting a TV - ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. His anchoring was executed so well that he got back all his lost fame and money. During a crisis, bad days, you have to find new ways of doing things with great vigour. Many people succeeded after their big fall, where they learn to follow their passions with zeal. Believe in yourself. You can do wonders.

Dr Seuss has said, “When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you”.