You know the modern definition of insanity, right? “Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.”
Yet even knowing that, we often still continue down the same paths again and again, appearing surprised when things don’t work out differently.
Well, in two days we’ll have a new year, an artificial splitting of one day from the next in an agreed-upon way. Will January 1, 2015, really look any different than December 31, 2014? No. The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. But because there’s a universal understanding that a new year is a whole new thing, we have a chance to make some real changes in our lives — now.
Here are three areas that are worth considering to help you stop your insanity:
1. Grow Your Company
Find more new clients. Reach out and rebuild relationships with those who have somehow fallen away. Attend more networking events – you know, the face-to-face kinds that allow true relationships to develop. Learn to use social media even better to reach out to potential customers and/or those who could introduce you to them. Find a mastermind group to open yourself up to new ideas.
2. Shake up Your Brain
Take a class on something that will shake you up! Take a grammar class, a social media class, a yoga class, a spin class, a Pilates class. Have a dialogue with someone who disagrees with your stance on something – respectfully, please – to get yourself out of your own way. Learn to dance, to play pool, to knit.
3. Strengthen Your Body
Get out of the office and walk regularly, and use a pedometer or another device to keep you on track. Even your phone may have a health app that allows you to do that (my iPhone 5 does). Play tennis or squash. Find one food that’s good for you that you never tried before, and eat it. Rescue an animal from a rescue organization. Find a way to bring more joy, contentment, and love into your life.
Even though there is an artificial quality to making January 1 such a big deal, if we embrace it and realize how lucky we are to have the chance to make some meaningful changes, we can stop the insanity!
Who’s with me on this? What will YOU do in 2015?