Top Ten Ways to Have a Truly Happy New Year

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”   —Aristotle

Make this New Year a great year by living your life well every day. By incorporating these good habits into your life moment by moment, you will have a wonderful year to celebrate.

1. Slow down
   Take time in each moment to savor your precious life. Keep a diary or journal of your adventures. Pause at the beginning and end of each day to celebrate your joys and accomplishments.

2. Take care of yourself
   Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep. Treat yourself to loving, nurturing self-care.

3. Acknowledge your family and friends
   Communicate with the people in your life. Tell them that you love and appreciate them. Note their positive qualities and the joy they bring to your life.

4. Take time throughout the day to renew yourself
   Take a walk, read a poem or a novel, listen to music- do the things that bring beauty into your life.

5. Clean up what needs cleaning up
   Make amends, fix what’s broken, clear away clutter, forgive what needs to be forgiven, and let go.

6. Commit to a project
   Set out on an adventure, no matter how small. Tackle an important problem, learn a valuable skill, improve an aspect of your life. Set achievable goals and work toward them on a daily basis.

7. Support something you believe in
   Give time to a cause, group, individual, or family who needs your help. Plan to do something every day to make the world a better place.

8. Remember that you always have options
   Look for ways to increase the number and quality of the choices available to you, knowing that sometimes your best choice is acceptance of what is.

9. Laugh, every single day
   Look for the humor in every situation. How important will this problem be in twenty years?

10. Always take time to dream
    Dreams are what will give your life its passion, its joy-and its direction. Take the time to develop your dreams so they will one day become your reality.