Last Updated on April 1, 2022 by Stephanie
No one can deny that the past few years have been rough. I have been living this too, but instead of sinking back and shutting down, I made the choice to get after it. Keep reading to find out some awesome ways to make this year or any year truly extraordinary.
1 – Do extraordinary things
I am not saying do extreme things. When you hear that word you might think of climbing mountains, running marathons, quitting your job to live on a tropical island. Nope… I’m talking about the word at its most basic level. What you do every single day is ordinary. Be more than that!
Don’t always do the same things every hour or every day. Try something new and out of your ordinary.
2 – Set goals
Sit down and set goals. You can check out my post on goal setting here for a more specific process. Or, you can sit down with a blank sheet of paper and just start listing out your goals until you can’t think of anything else. I’ve got a set of goal-setting printables in my shop that you might enjoy and can help guide you through the goal-setting process!
The most important piece to this though is to review them often! I write my goals every single morning and it is awesome! If you want to learn more about my morning journaling process, check out my post about it here.
3 – Put down your phone
Chances are you are reading this on your phone. That’s cool, and I’m hoping to reach people through social media and my blog, so I want you to be on your phone. However, being on your phone all the time, letting it hijack hours of your day, is not healthy.
Check your screen time via your phone’s screen time tracker and see where you are spending your time. After you check it, set some limits!
4 – Find a system that works for you
Stress. Too much to do. Not enough time in the day.
Yeah, I get it. Find a system that works for you. Figure out the best way for you to plan your months, weeks, and days. Research tools like todoist that keep your to-do lists handy and organized. Spend some time doing a weekly review every week. I’ve also got a post about building systems for productivity that you can check out here.
If you find something that works, stick to it. If something isn’t working change it!
5 – Get your health checked out
Go get a check-up. Get yourself to the dentist. Go to the dermatologist. Get yourself checked out at the beginning of the year. We are a very reactive healthcare system, but don’t emphasize the importance of preventative care! Make sure that you are aware of any issues with your health before they become something that you need to fix.
6 – Get off the couch and move your body
Your heart is a muscle that needs to be worked! Your brain thrives with the oxygen pumped into your blood after exercising. 7/10 of leading causes of death in the United States are from chronic disease, and most chronic diseases are preventable. According to the CDC, they are prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco, avoiding excessive drinking, and getting regular health screenings.
Wake up and move your body every day! Even a short 10-minute walk is better than nothing.
7 – Eat something green
Not Jello. No, green M&Ms don’t count. Green Skittles also don’t count.
If you read the above, it mentions eating well-being as something that can prevent chronic disease. Awesome! So add in a vegetable every day. In my weight loss journey a year ago, I used Noom, which was immensely helpful. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the psychology of eating and get practical tips for eating well.
8 – Read a book… or 60
One thing that the world’s extraordinary leaders and successful individuals share is that they are life-long learners. When Elon Musk started to build SpaceX, he could often be found reading about rocket propulsion. All the time. Then he would go ask the engineers about things and listen to what they had to say on the subject. Then he read more.
Hop over to GoodReads and set a reading goal for yourself and make time to read.
One of the best things I’ve become obsessed with is listening to audiobooks in my car during my commute. Even with a short 15-minute commute every day, I’ve gotten through several great books. Check out my first list of 5 books to read that will inspire you to get crap done. You can also check out 5 books that will make you think here.
9 – Act, don’t watch
I love television. I love movies.
However, I have made the realization in the past two years that I don’t need them. I can be doing something better. Some say that television is a way to escape, a way to de-stress at the end of a long day. This can absolutely be true. If you are using this as a way to de-stress every single day for hours at a time, it is sabotaging your life.
A great teacher friend of mine once had a student come to school and say that they didn’t do their homework because they didn’t have time. The conversation went like this:
“Oh man, what did you do last night?”
“I had soccer practice.”
“Woah, you had soccer practice from 3:30-10:00? You didn’t eat?”
“Well, yeah, I had dinner. Soccer practice was over at 5:00.”
“Wow, that’s a long dinner 5:00 until bedtime?”
“No… I had to take a bath too.”
“Man… I love long baths too, but you took a bath for like 3 hours?”
“No…”
It went on, but you get the point. Sometimes we think that we don’t have the time to get stuff done, but we do. We just choose to use that time for something other than what we need to get done. Talk about a spiral that you can’t get out of. Endless things to do, sit down to de-stress and watch a couple of episodes of your favorite drama and don’t do the things, still have the things to do, and repeat.
Get something done before you sit down to de-stress. Be extraordinary and take the time to be productive first! Take a half-hour to actually do something on your list or even get ahead on something. Put a load of laundry in, clean the bathroom, etc. Just do something so your list is a bit shorter before your de-stress.
10 – Take a breath when the chaos hits
Life is never going to only be puppies and rainbows. That’s not realistic. However, the best way to deal is to take a moment to breathe and take stock of the beauty.
My toddler had an epic meltdown this morning because she wanted a cereal bar and yogurt for breakfast. Then my sweet husband said that he would make pancakes! Guys… 10 minutes of screaming about how she didn’t want pancakes because she wanted a cereal bar. The kid ate the pancakes just fine. Guess what though… she’s healthy, clearly has great lungs, and is every bit just as stubborn as her beautiful mother.
Take a moment to breathe in the chaos before you react.
Inside of You is the Power to Thrive and Do Extraordinary Things
It is all about the choices we make. We can be dealt some crappy cards and situations, but our reactions to those are what make the difference. My great hope is that every person reading this realizes that they are awesome. You can do extraordinary things every day and move yourself to better.
I love my life. I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, my health, amazing friends, a great job, etc. You know what, I still want more though! That is absolutely not selfish or a crime. I want to do more with my family. My health and fitness level can always improve.
Make this year awesome, and go do something extraordinary today!
Let me know what you did in the comments below!
