New Year, New Resolutions, New President, New Government… Now it’s time to ask yourself two timeless questions: where are we going and why? To me this question has special power. It helps keep my New Year’s resolutions to get healthy, to be in better physical shape, to be efficient, successful, happy and make my dreams come true. We can create a million of New Year’s Resolutions, but there is one problem. How to keep our plans and promises to ourselves? By the way, our new President, Barack Obama has the same question, too, but his life is more difficult and reponsible than ours. He’ll have to accomplish great deeds and deliver his promises not only to himself and his family, but to 304 million Americans and other people around the world, who believed in his mottoes about a need of change and his strong assurance, “Yes. We can!”

Some of us can make an excuse that we don’t have enough time to take care of ourselves because we work, we have children and have a million things to do.  But who has? Name me one person who has plenty of time! Do you think this young Mom has?  But she made it for herself and her baby.                                                          Today even retired people complain about shortage of time. They have plenty of time, but their life busy because they have lots to do. Instead of getting bored, they walk together at sunrise, then gather together and share news and politics, express their opinions about health care today, give each other helpful advices, and discuss and exchange the latest books they have read.  

  I see them every day when I walk in the mornings on the shore of the Atlantic ocean in this South Florida small pictoresque town. They are sitting under a canope of an  inviting, “straw knitted” gazebo and communicate with each other. I spoke with them and they told me about their active and pleasant lifestyle and how they enjoy their time and going together to cultural events, and even they told about their joyful and meaningful ritual of warmly greeting people running a morning marathon or doing the promenade. 

Some people claim they have plenty of time after work and during weekends and don’t know what to do with it. How they don’t know what to do with their T-I-M-E?! Meet other people, became a member of the library, book club, go to the concerts and movies, and explore the city you live in. Your time will not be boring anymore. It’ll be interesting and engaging. It will fly so fast that you will not notice how your Saturday or Sunday came to the end. 

If you don’t have time, the best you can do, make your quality time instead of saving it. Some people believe that we can save our time. I don’t believe in “saving time.” What it means “to save time?” It means that we have to minimize time needed for one task and use  a part of it for another thing. It doesn’t often work because you’ll not be able to do both things with quality and without rush. Put mindfully ”your house in order,” don’t rush one thing for the sake of another, and you will be able to do it.

Stop rushing and make yourself and other people nervous. Take your time and have a clear understanding of what you do and where you go with your life and what is your purpose. You can say, “Who has time to think about it?” Every day we rush to work, run to a store or kindergarten, drive carpools, do endless errands. We live at the breakneck speed, and it seems that we never have enough time. We never stop, try to do a million things fast, but some left undone anyway. Why it’s so?

Because we feel exhausted from all this rushing. Did you notice? Suddenly everything you have to do, you do with an enormous effort.  You feel something is missing  in our life. It is such a  puzzle, isn’t it? Some people get depressed, develop headaches, fatigue and depression. They are unhappy and complain constantly about it. It happens because they don’t know how to relax and enjoy themselves. If you want to enjoy life to the fullest, be healthy and happy, you have to know exactly where you are going and why, and make your smart decisions without any rush. Slow down, think and take a minute to analyze what is best for YOU, at first. Make You your first priority, start loving and respecting yourself, and other people will do the same to you.

Speeding on a road brings us traffic tickets. It is very disappointing. Speeding in our life will not bring any quality or excitment to it, but a feeling of emptiness. If you are a “speedaholic,” forget about  your “rushing itch,” overcome it   and come to your senses. These simple tips can help you with your New Year’s Resolutions to bring your life into perspective without giving up your happy time:  

  • Determine your first priorities
  • Organize yourself thoughtfully
  • Finish your endless errands
  • Start your important projects
  • Follow up your plans with confidence
  • Don’t push yourself to expedite your tasks
  • Slow down and think over what has to be done
  • Make your relief time and relax 
  • Think only positively 
  • Forget about negative emotions
  • Stop and admire a sunny day
  • Grow a blossoming garden
  • Sit on a park bench and enjoy nature
  • Take a walk along a river, lake or the beach
  • Sit on a warm, golden sand
  • Look at the peacefully flowing water
  • Exercise and keep yourself in good shape
  • Research topic you are interested
  • Get new knowledge to improve your life 
  • Read a good book and fullfil your spirit
  • Think about your best day and clear your mind
  • Remember only happy moments in your life
  • Read poetry and enrich your soul
  • Nourish your body with whole foods
  • Don’t practice any diets which don’t work anyway
  • Reject weight loss techniques as useless
  • Create your own healthy and joyable lifestyle
  • Ride a bike in the mornings and enjoy fresh air
  • Don’t be mad at yourself, even if you gained weight
  • Liberate your mind from desperate thoughts
  • Hope for the best, it helps to feel young and alive.
  • Don’t complain, it’s not constructive
  • Respect and love yourself. Other will love you, too.
  • Pre-plan and just do what is right at the right time.

Text and seven photos by Svetlana Konnikova. Copyright 2009.