There are so many reasons to meditate. The workplace has become a breeding ground for an epidemic of SADness—stress, anxiety and depression—three afflictions that meditation can ease. Smartphones have shrunk our attention spans to sub-goldfish levels, and meditation can help us focus at least as well as an amphibian. And meditation can make pain feel less painful, help us sleep better, control impulsive reactions, and improve our relationships. But most of all, meditation helps us live our lives as they’re happening, not as a background music to thoughts of the past and imaginings of the future.

Here are five easy yet powerful meditative moments that anyone, no matter how busy, can fit into their day.

Stoplight = Breathe + Delight. Do you ever feel the urge to reach for your phone at a stoplight to scan your email? Where I live, one of the toughest jurisdictions for distracted driving in the world, even touching your phone to turn off an alarm while your car is on the road can result in a fine of up to $1,000 for a first-time offense. Plus a 3-day driving suspension and demerit points. Rather than reach for your phone, take a deep breath and scan your environment for something pleasing to look at, or double-up on the meditative impact by combining it with the next meditative moment…

The Happiness Wish. This simple practice has resulted in countless cases of “my best day at work in years.” Whenever you encounter someone, say to yourself “I want this person to be happy.” Not only will you short-circuit a kneejerk reaction to view others with a critical mind, but with each person you encounter, you’ll be cultivating an aura of kindness that, if they’re attentive, they’ll be able to sense. If you can wish happiness for everyone you see in a day, you will get the same mood-elevating benefits as a formal meditation session in compassion where you imagine a wider and wider circle of humanity and wish them all well. Compassion meditation always begins with yourself, so while you’re wishing happiness for others, be sure to take a moment to wish for your own happiness.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. Do you remember tasting anything today, or did you scarf down your food and drink while you were busy doing something else? Food is a pleasure that deserves to be savored. You’re eating anyway, so why not take a moment to smell, taste and feel the sensations that your food gives you. Savoring your food counts as meditation.

Your Left Hand  “He lived at a little distance from his body” began James Joyce’s “A Painful Case,” the tragic story of Mr. Duffy, a man who never paid attention to the world around and within him. Many of us are like that: we prefer to be all orderly minds without nuisance bodies that repeatedly impose their needs on us and interrupt our productivity. But when we cut ourselves off from our bodies, we cut ourselves off from what Joyce called “life’s feast,” so reconnect with your body now and sporadically throughout the day. What’s happening with your left hand? It’s not an insignificant question. To begin to inhabit the body takes you out of inhabiting only the mind. If you can feel your left hand, you can also start inhabiting other parts of the body. Feel the aliveness in your left hand, and if you have time, travel up your arm and around your shoulders down to your right hand. You may discover that your body is a welcoming place of mental rest.

If you can wish happiness for everyone you see, you’ll get the same mood-elevating benefits as a formal meditation session.

Just Breathe. The simplest and most portable tip, “just breathe” is a meditation that you can do anywhere, anytime. Take a deep breath into your belly, and let your attention follow your breath as feel your belly rise, and fall as breathe out. It only takes a few breaths to signal your body to relax, recharge and energize.

Try one of these meditative moments, notice how it makes you feel, and soon you’ll be seeking out opportunities for more meditative moments that sown together over the course of a day will have a positive effect on your wellbeing. And if you ever decide that you have five minutes or more to sit quietly and just breathe, your meditative moment will have become the bridge to building a meditative habit.

Lynne Everatt is a recovering MBA, LinkedIn Top Voice in management and culture, and nominee for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for her first book, E-mails from the Edge, a novel with the theme of workplace mental health. She is a former careers columnist for Canada’s largest newspaper, The Globe and Mail. An ardent advocate for mental health through physical fitness, Lynne is a certified personal trainer who has completed two sweaty half-marathons and a marathon six minutes and twenty-three seconds of stand-up at the Absolute Comedy Club. She served for three years as President of the Board of Directors of the women’s shelter Interim Place, where she met and became friends with co-author Addie Greco-Sanchez of The 5-Minute Recharge. Connect with Lynne on LinkedIn and Twitter. Together, Lynne and Addie want to make the world a mentally healthier place through their friendship.

To learn more please visit, www.5minrecharge.com.

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The idea or project is just sitting there, and fact that you haven’t accomplished it is weighing on you. But when it actually comes down to doing it, you seem to have lost all motivation.

So how do you recover motivation to do something you think you should do?

You can start by giving up this one word in 2019—and replacing it with something much more powerful!

Say goodbye to the S-word

Should.

That one word can zap your motivation to do something faster than anything.

I’ve found that whenever I used the word “should” I would procrastinate and avoid the activity or project I thought I “should’ do. That’s because the word “should” in the dictionary indicates a meaning of obligation or duty.

“If you’re trying to force it, you either just won’t make the time or have the energy.”

Notice how often you might say something similar to these:

I should go work out.

I should eat healthy.

I should lose 10 pounds.

I should get out of debt.

I should clean that closet.

I should learn how to ____.

Whatever it is for you, it might even be a necessary or good idea (organize a closet, clean out the car, take a class, plant a garden). But if you’re trying to force it, you either just won’t make the time or have the energy, or you’ll probably keep putting it off because you don’t enjoy it. Or it might be a good thing to do, but maybe not for you to do. Or maybe not at this time.

But there’s another way: Now, for every “should” statement you say, ask yourself, “Is this what I want?” Or do you think you should do it because someone told you to or you feel under some obligation to do it? Sometimes our choices are influenced more about what others want than we want.

Although they might all be great choices, until we personally own them for ourselves we will not be motivated to follow through.

So, the first step to healthy motivation in the new year is to examine your “shoulds” and get clear on what it is YOU want.

You can also clarify what it is you want so it matches the outcome you want to create (i.e. I want to clean the closet so I can always find what I need.)

Once we claim a choice for ourselves, we then can declare them with “I am” statements.

Then replace “I should” with “I am”

I am working out

I am eating healthy.

I am losing 10 pounds.

I am debt free.

I am cleaning that closet.

I am learning how to ____.

An even higher vibration of belief is to act as if you have already accomplished it and imagine your success with these statements of gratitude:

I am grateful I choose to work out.

I am grateful I eat healthy.

I am grateful I lost 10 pounds.

I am grateful I am debt free .

I am grateful I cleaned the closet.

I grateful I have learned  how to ____.

This simple but powerful shift can make a world of difference!

Remember, when you declare your intentions you uplift your energy so it can support you with the motivation to do it when it is right and timely for you.

Carol Tuttle is a teacher, speaker, energy healer, online influencer and pioneer in the field of personal development. She’s the best-selling author of 5 books: Remembering Wholeness, It’s Just My Nature, Discover Your Type of Beauty, The Child Whisperer and her newest, Mastering Affluence. For more information on her work, please click here.

1. Hit the snooze button.

“Sleeping in” by hitting snooze can actually make you feel more sluggish, and getting up at the last minute makes you feel rushed. How you begin the day affects the rest of it. When you start off out of control, you’ll be frazzled all day.

Set your alarm for a reasonable time, then get up when it goes off. If you’re so tired that this feels impossible, try to go to sleep earlier the night

2. Jump out of bed right away.

Taking a moment to come gently awake before you get out of bed can make an enormous difference. Once you stop hitting snooze, you’ll have a few extra minutes. Spend them breathing slowly and deeply. Don’t think about your to-do list or anything stressful. Just concentrate on your breath.

You can repeat a calming word or phrase in your head, like “peace” or “I am grateful for this day.” Add a few stretches if you like. Then slowly get up. This practice puts you in a mindset of mindfulness, helping you stay centered and calm.

Massage and yoga therapist Stacy Wooster says, “The morning sets the tone for the whole day. If we get up and are ‘go, go, go’ right away, that’s the pace for the rest of the day. If we can begin in a more conscious way, we are able to make choices that are more aware. It’s a totally different feel. And all the small choices add up; it’s the subtle things that really change our lives.” She recommends to “take ten slow breaths while you’re still in bed. Then when you sit up, put your feet on the floor and feel them there. The feet have a lot of nerve endings; paying attention to how they feel on the floor helps you be more aware of your body and grounds you.”

3. Check your phone first thing.

This is so common, and so detrimental. One study found that 80% of smartphone users—that’s 4 out of 5 people—check their phone within an hour of waking up. And 35% do it within the first five minutes!

Why is this harmful? Checking social media, texts, or email often makes you tense and anxious. It can also put you in a reactive state, where you’re dealing with other people’s issues. When you do that before you’ve had a chance to set your own agenda, you’re essentially handing control of your day over to others.

Author and coach Patricia Charpentier says, “If I get sucked into checking email first, I’m gone. Then I’m in multitasking mode and I’m hopping from thing to thing. A set practice helps me focus on one item at a time. I’m more mindful of my choices and where I’m putting my time and energy.”

Instead of looking at your phone, do something calming and uplifting. Make a list of what you’re grateful for. Read something inspiring. Listen to music that evokes joy.

One way to avoid temptation is to stop using your phone as your alarm. Get an alarm clock instead, and keep your phone in another room. Some people also put it on airplane mode so they won’t see any notifications even if they pick it up.

4. Do something “good for you” because you think you should, not because you want to.

People may say that meditation is the most transformational practice there is, but if it makes you crazy, it’s not the practice for you. Ditto with exercise, or journaling. I talked to more than twenty successful women about their morning rituals, and they all emphasized this: be true to yourself. Do something that meets yourneeds and makes youhappy. It’s not good for you if it doesn’t make you feel good.

5. Stay up late.

OK, this is actually something to avoid in the evening, but it has a major effect on your morning. You won’t be your best if you don’t get enough sleep; it’s essential to good health. Set your bedtime early enough so that you wake up feeling rested. An hour beforehand, turn off all screens and start to wind down. Some ideas: take a bath, read, do some stretches, write down all your worries so they don’t keep you up. Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark (that phone isn’t in there, is it?). Then enjoy the bliss of a good night’s sleep, and see how much better it makes your morning!

Start your day on your terms. Take control of your day before it takes control of you, and reap the benefits.

The findings, from University of Pennsylvania researchers, were published in PNAS.

The study involved 220 sedentary adults who were either overweight or obese — people whose lack of physical activity puts them at increased risk for a variety of negative health outcomes. But public-service ads designed to change negative behavior don’t often work.

“One of the things that gets in the way of people changing their behavior is defensiveness,” explains senior author Emily Falk, Associate Professor of Communication, Psychology, and Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. “When people are reminded that it’s better to park the car further away and get in a few more steps, or to get up and move around at work to lower their risk for heart disease, they often come up with reasons why these suggestions might be relevant for somebody else, but not for them.”

To combat those defensive feelings, researchers engaged the participants in one of two self-transcendence tasks and compared their responses to those in a non-transcendent control group. Self-transcendence tasks required participants to think about values bigger than themselves — such as people they loved and cared about — and did so while the subjects were in an fMRI machine, allowing researchers to see their brain activity in real time.

The first self-transcendence group reflected on things that mattered most to them. If they chose “friends and family,” they might be asked to think about times in the future when they might feel close to their friends and family. If they chose “spirituality,” they might be asked to think about times when they might connect with God or other sources of higher power.

A second self-transcendence group was asked to make repeated positive wishes for both people they knew and for strangers. These included hopes that your friends would be joyful or that others would be well.

Meanwhile, a control group reflected on their least important values.

Then all the participants viewed blunt health messages that encouraged them to be more active, or explained why their current behaviors put them at risk. For example:

Getting more active will strengthen your muscles. Stronger muscles will make it easier for you to get around and do the things you enjoy for longer.

Make a habit of walking up and down the stairs whenever you can. Avoid taking the elevator as often as possible.

The American Heart Association says sedentary people like you are at serious risk for heart disease. This means more pills and higher risk of sickness and death.

In the month that followed, participants received daily text messages that repeated the experiment in miniature, priming them to think self-transcendent thoughts (or neutral control thoughts) before they received health messages. The also wore fitness trackers to monitor their activity.

Those who had completed either of the self-transcendence tasks were significantly more active in the month that followed, with less time spent being sedentary, according to a news release from .

In addition, the researchers found that during the self-transcendence tasks, people showed greater activity in brain regions involved in reward and positive-valuation, when compared to the control group.

“People often report that self-transcendence is an intrinsically rewarding experience,” says lead author Yoona Kang, a postdoctoral fellow with the Annenberg School for Communication. “When you are having concerns for others, these can be rewarding moments.”

These rewarding feelings, the researchers believe, can lead people to be more open to hearing otherwise-unwelcome health advice.

“If you let people first ‘zoom out’ and think about the things and people that matter most to them,” says Falk, “then they see that their self-concept and self-worth aren’t tied to this particular behavior — in this case, their lack of physical activity.”

Kang also points out that allowing people to feel part of something larger than themselves can have positive health effects.

“People are capable of doing things for their loved ones that they’d probably never do for themselves,” she says. “The idea of self-transcendence — caring for others beyond one’s own self-interest — is a potentially powerful source of change.”

The researchers are currently testing a phone app for the general public which delivers daily pairs of self-affirming and health messages, like those used in the study.

As part of a study by investigators at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could perform simple math — subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds — while either slumped over or sitting up straight with shoulders back and relaxed. Fifty-six percent of the students reported finding it easier to perform the math in the upright position.

“For people who are anxious about math, posture makes a giant difference,” said Professor of Health Education Erik Peper. “The slumped-over position shuts them down and their brains do not work as well. They cannot think as clearly.” Before the study began, students filled out an anonymous questionnaire asking them to rate their anxiety levels while taking exams and performing math; they also described any physical symptoms of stress they experienced during test taking.

Study co-author Associate Professor of Health Education Richard Harvey said that slumping over is a defensive posture that can trigger old negative memories in the body and brain. While the students without math anxiety did not report as great a benefit from better posture, they did find that doing math while slumped over was somewhat more difficult.

According to a news release from SF State, Peper and Harvey say these findings about body position can help people prepare for many different types of performance under stress, not just math tests. Athletes, musicians and public speakers can all benefit from better posture prior to and during their performance. “You have a choice,” said Peper. “It’s about using an empowered position to optimize your focus.”

That empowerment could be particularly helpful to students facing the challenge called “stereotype threat,” said Lauren Mason, one of the paper’s authors and a recent SF State graduate. A first-generation college student, Mason can identify with such students, who experience fear and insecurity because of a belief by others — which can become internalized — that they won’t do as well at math. Mason said she has benefited personally from using a more empowered posture before taking difficult tests, including math. She believes that adopting a more confident posture could help other first-generation students as well as women entering science and math, who often battle stereotype threat, too.

“I always felt insecure about my math abilities even though I excelled at other subjects,” said Mason, who helped design the experiment in the study. “You build a relationship with [math] so early — as early as elementary school. You can carry that negative self-talk throughout your life, impacting your perception of yourself.”

Mason said the study results demonstrate a simple way to improve many aspects of life, especially when stress is involved: “The way we carry ourselves and interact in space influences not only how others perceive us but also how we perceive ourselves.”

In our culture, the unwritten message is that being hard on yourself is the price you have to pay to get things done and meet the often impossible expectations, standards, and ideals we sometimes hold for ourselves. So people may resist a self-compassionate approach, seeing it as “soft” or believing it leads us to avoid problems, stay unmotivated, or become passive about our own or others’ missteps. But researchers have found that the opposite to be true. A 2012 study at the University of California Berkeley found that self-compassion is more effective than self-criticism and more effective than a self-esteem boost, “not only in helping you cope with a setback, but also in encouraging you to move forward.” Self-compassion creates self-confidence, because you learn to face challenges, disappointments and failures with acceptance and kindness. From this place, you have the ability to choose effective and skillful actions.

Here are three keys to tame your inner critic:

1. Make friends with the voice in your head. Realize that the worrying, scolding voice is trying to help you, keep you out of trouble, and be sure you’re okay. Greet the voice with “Thank you. I know you are trying to help. I am okay. I’ve got this.”
2. Realize that you are not alone. It is part of our common experience to struggle or have hard times. Realizing that you are not the only one to fail, experience job loss, drop the ball, hurt others, or make mistakes helps you see that all of this is part of being human.
3. Deepen your self-awareness. Pay attention to the language you use to talk to yourself. Would you say that to a friend? Practice talking to yourself as a kind mentor or close friend would talk to you.

If self-compassion feels counterintuitive, know that you can shift how you see and relate to the voice in your head.

So I developed writing prompts that are both psychology-based and similar to those used in MFA Programs for creative writing, but geared towards healing the spirit, developing mindfulness, and integrating creativity into your daily life. I’ve taught these exercises to incarcerated youth, professional adults, and high school students, as well as to psychotherapists who wanted to learn to use therapeutic writing with in their practices. I’m constantly delighted to see my students surprise themselves with what they write.

“If you don’t use your imagination, it will use you,” is an old saying that rings true. So if you find yourself obsessing, beating your self up, or imagining negative outcomes, you might be wise to channel your creativity toward a more positive outlook on life.

Here are a few prompts that may very well lift your spirits:

1. Pretend that you can give yourself a gift from nature. It can be anything – a sunset, an ocean wave, a bolt of lightning – anything you choose. Describe your gift in writing and explain why you chose this gift for yourself. Does it soothe you? Give you superpowers? How does it feel to give and receive this miracle?
2. Write down the negative messages you tell yourself, leaving a space below each annoying thought. Then counter each less-than-helpful statement with the words of encouragement, support and love you might hear from an ideal parent, mentor, or higher power.
3. Choose a moment in your day – it can be as small as when a clerk smiled at you or you noticed a child’s laughter or a lovely flower. Now savor the moment in writing. Use all your senses as you describe the experience and how it felt in detail. Practicing this daily will help you to become mindful of the tiny delightful moments in even the most challenging days!
4. Describe your ideal life. Be creative and reach for the stars! Next, list baby steps you can take to realize your vision.

And last but not least – an old standby – the tried and true Daily Gratitude List. This has long been recommended in twelve-step programs and it turns out that, in recent scientific studies, acknowledging our blessings has been shown to increase serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitters in our brains.

Please don’t forget that simply using your creativity – whether it be painting, playing music, making a collage or writing – even for just twenty minutes a day – will definitely improve your spirits.

So put down your phone, turn off the news and use your imagination – before it uses you!

For more on Diane’s work, click on her byline above.

Imagine that you could work on an app that better informs financial decisions to help users get out of debt; imagine working with technology that helps patients and doctors better manage illness and health; imagine being stuck in the rain with a crappy umbrella and allow the experience to spark the curiosity that leads to a better design – these problems are amazing!

Problems are amazing because of the innovative and creative solutions that often follow. There are so many big, juicy problems out there that remain blank canvases just waiting for the answers to improve the quality of life for us all.”

The problem that often hobbles problem-solving, however, is the “I can’t” mindset, which we all suffer to a greater or lesser extent, she says. It’s the hurdle separating problem recognition and imagination. But if we can get past “I can’t,” we enable wonder, curiosity, creativity and, sometimes, groundbreaking innovation, Patel says.

How do we overcome the “I can’t” mindset? Her I offer a brief summary of my creative- and innovation-enabling process for individuals and teams.

• Believe you can or, if needed, get unstuck. If you believe that you are creative, good. You’re going to need that creativity, so just trust yourself. If you don’t, trust in a process that begins with “Why?” If you’re stuck in doubt and “I can’t,” then attack it with “Why?” – “Why do I feel stuck?” It’s a great device for questioning and can help you understand the root cause of an issue. “Why?” sheds light on a usually irrational belief of “I can’t” and begins to liberate your mindset. The factor causing self-doubt gets put into perspective, enabling you to move on.
• Shift the way you see “The Problem.” The shift is deceptively simple and is similar to how we can get unstuck. Problems are usually perceived to be much bigger than they really are, causing intimidation and avoidance. Be sensitive to this intimidation, and train yourself: rather than allowing anxiety to take root, allow yourself to see problems as an invitation, or challenge, to keep asking questions. See problems as an opportunity to change your mind about what you think is possible.
• Ask, “What if?” There is a technique to “What if?” Creativity is like a muscle. A well-designed workout matters. So we created one to help people access and strengthen their creativity muscle. Think of this workout as high intensity interval training. Is it the only way to access the muscle? Of course not. But it works. The workout starts with a silent warm-up ideation round of three minutes, followed by a sharing round with a team, repeated three times. In the silent ideation, you write down as many “What if?” or open questions as possible. Participants come up with ideas at the same time and write them down, so louder and more vocal people don’t have an advantage. A necessary general guideline in this sharing process is positivity – show support for good ideas or voice that you have a similar one in mind, and keep the vibe open and friendly with other positive language.
• Manage the creative momentum. While collective brainstorming and discussion can be fun while yielding group bonding, the more important takeaway is that the process has helped participants get out of their own way to grab and distill the best ideas that are out there. Having too many ideas can be its own problem, so it’s important to deduce and connect the best ones.

By now, “I can’t” looks pretty ridiculous and unnecessary. This is a lesson that not only yields creative solutions for one problem, but a general principle with which to address all problems … or, rather, opportunities.

Mona Patel (www.motivatedesign.com ) is the CEO and Founder of Motivate Design, a user-centered design agency based in New York City. Motivate Design helps clients discover customer needs and design solutions that meet those needs.

Well, no more. With a new year upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at your daily existence—and drop all the dead weight that’s holding you back.

We tend to think of ‘quitting’ as a bad thing, but the fact is, the things that used to fit well into your life may not be honoring who you are now. It’s very important to live on purpose, not by accident. So instead of piling even more responsibilities onto your plate in the form of overly ambitious New Year’s resolutions, resolve to become a quitter in 2016.

As an experienced image consultant, I focus on the entire body-mind-spirit connection when working with clients because she knows that the impression you make isn’t just determined by what you wear; it’s also influenced by your attitude, outlook, and self-image. Here, I share seven habits and behaviors you might want to consider quitting in 2016:

Quit making excuses about your health. Have you been meaning to lose a few pounds (for the last 10 years)? It’s so easy to bump exercise and healthy eating to the bottom of your to-do list. There are usually so many other tasks that seem more pressing: Get that report to the boss. Set up a time to get the car inspected. Make sure the kids get to cello lessons on time. Meanwhile, you tell yourself, I’ll start going to spin class next week. Problem is, “next week” never arrives.

If you don’t like the number you see on the scale, it’s time for the excuses to stop, regardless of how legitimate they are. And there’s a good reason for this tough love: Your weight isn’t just about your silhouette—it’s about your health, your energy level, and your confidence, too. Plus, the smile on your face—and the way all your friends will remark on how fabulous you look—will make you feel better every day for the rest of your life.

Quit burning the candle at both ends. Do you feel tired and run down? Are you overextending yourself? Do you pack your days too full and get too little sleep in order to accomplish everything you want to? You may think you’re getting ahead, but in reality, you’re hurting your quality of life. There are more studies coming out each year that affirm the health benefits of getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

If you make taking care of yourself more of a priority, you’ll feel better about taking care of other people and have more energy throughout the day. Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish; it’s healthy and necessary. Whether you spend a day at the spa or simply take ten minutes to purchase and enjoy a cup of hot tea in the midst of running errands, investing in yourself will make you more resilient and will also reduce your stress and tension.

Quit spending so much time with people who don’t enrich your life. How many people do you regularly spend time with—even though you don’t really want to? You know the ones: Perhaps your sister-in-law constantly asks to get together, but spends the entire time criticizing everything from your clothes to your career to your parenting. Or maybe a certain frenemy peppers the conversation with backhanded compliments and one-upmanship, making you feel like your whole life has been one long series of bad decisions. People with whom you feel obligated to spend time can suck up your energy and positive outlook, dragging down an otherwise great day or week. Often it’s impossible to back out of the relationship entirely, but there are things you can do to minimize its negative impact on your life. First, make sure you have set up clear boundaries. In some cases, people might not realize how bad they’re making you feel! And second, remember that you can gracefully say no to one social activity while accepting another, more positive one.

Quit saying yes to everything. Many of us have trouble saying no for a variety of reasons: We don’t want to let others down, we don’t want to be seen as weak, we’re afraid to refuse, etc. However, until you learn to say no when you need to, you’ll never be in the driver’s seat of your own life.

You don’t have to chair every event, take on every project, host every party, participate in every activity, and accept every invitation. Remember, you—not your boss, your friend, or your child’s teacher—are in charge of your calendar. Right now, before 2016 gets off the ground, decide ahead of time what’s most important to you and prioritize those things. Then you can feel okay about saying no to some of the rest.

Quit at least one bad habit. Maybe you’re always running late, or you’ve been overspending lately. Perhaps you tend to procrastinate on big projects until the last minute, or you stuff yourself with junk food when you’re stressed. The truth is, we all have bad habits—and New Year’s resolutions are tailor-made to help you get rid of them.

To start, pick one bad habit—something that causes you a lot of stress would be a good choice. Then design a game plan that will enable you to kick it once and for all. For instance, if you’re always dragging into work late, you might set out your clothes and pack your lunch the night before, wake up 15 minutes earlier, and refrain from turning on the TV until after you’re showered and dressed. You’ll probably find that in most instances, bad habits really aren’t that difficult to scrub out of your life. Summoning the motivation to change and taking that first step are the hardest parts!

Quit looking “good enough.” Most of us will never be runway models, but that’s no reason to settle for a humdrum, forgettable appearance. Wearing clothes (or a haircut, or makeup) that are dated, not flattering, or “good enough” isn’t doing your self-image any favors. And like it or not, people really do judge a book by its cover. Don’t you want to make an impression that clearly communicates your drive, personality, and confidence?

Get clear on colors and styles that are most flattering for your age, coloring, and body type, and stick with those guidelines whenever you make a new purchase. And face it: Wearing gym clothes whenever you can get away with it makes you feel sloppy and not as productive. You might also want to ask a trusted friend for honest advice. But if you want more personalized results, I recommend working with an image consultant whose trained eye can help you to look your absolute best.

Quit spending so much time inside. This year, make a resolution to get more fresh air. Take a walk, run, or bike ride a few times each week—or just sit in a local park or on your back porch while reading a book. Getting out of your office or living room will help you think about yourself and your life from a whole new perspective.

Spending time outside helps you clear your mind, makes you feel more energized, and improves your health. What’s more, doing even the most minimal exercise outdoors helps emphasize the need to drink more water and take care of your skin with sunscreen and moisturizer. And if you’re anything like me, seeing the beautiful pictures that only nature can paint will put you in a great mood for the whole day. It’s a totally different experience than sitting on the couch to watch a movie.”

The beginning of a brand new year is the perfect time to reassess your life. Instead of adding more things to your 2016 to-do list, do yourself a favor and jettison what’s no longer working for you. When you get rid of habits, mindsets, and behaviors that are no longer working for you, you’ll make room for new things that make you feel good and help you grow.

Marla Tomazin, Certified Image Consultant, established her image consulting business in 1990 with the goal of helping clients identify an authentic image and develop its effective expression.

It’s all or nothing: It sounds harsh, but 99% compliance is failure. You either go after your goals with 100% effort, or don’t bother trying. You wouldn’t cheat on your spouse in a committed relationship, so don’t cheat on something as important as your resolutions.

It’s not about winning, but wanting to win that counts. Winners have a “whatever it takes” attitude. They’ve made the decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory.

Expect the obstacles. Most people run into a challenge or obstacle and seek immediate escape. Have a plan to push forward when this happens. If you’re not ready to suffer during adversity, you’re not going to be successful. You need to know going in that making a change is going to be hard work, not a walk in the park.

Don’t focus on how to do it, but rather, why should I do it? Why do I want this goal to become a reality? The intensity of emotion with which this question is answered will determine whether the dream comes alive or dies.

Get really clear about what you want to change. Vagueness doesn’t work with goal setting. Don’t just say “I want to lose weight,” but get really specific and say, “By March 1, I want to lose 15 pounds. I’m going to eat well, exercise each day and get really committed to doing this once and for all.”

Set a timeline. Setting a timeline helps avoid procrastination. The way the mind works, a timeline gives you something to strive for.

Focus on your self-talk. Be careful what you say to yourself, because your thoughts dictate your behavior. In fact, 77% of what we say to ourselves is negative, so don’t give into the negative thoughts that the goal is impossible. Keep asking yourself, “How can I make this happen?”

Seeing is believing: A vision board helps keep you motivated because it helps you see the end result of the goal you’re trying to achieve. If you want to lose weight, for example, cut out pictures of fit people and tape them on a poster board. Hang the vision board in a very visible location. This will reinforce the goals into your subconscious and help you push forward on those tough days. You can also write a letter describing your life to a friend and detailing the way you want things to be a year from now. Don’t mail the letter. It’s actually for you. Read the letter any time you need a lift-me-up.

Get an accountability buddy. One of the biggest problems is that most people have no means of accountability or a support system in place. Go after your goals with a partner who really makes you push yourself. Even better, find someone who has already achieved what you are setting out after and have this person coach you.

Ignore the naysayers. There will be people who say you can’t do it and that you should just leave well enough alone. Drop your addiction to the approval of others, ignore them, and keep pushing forward. Achieving world-class success in anything means believing in yourself no matter what others think or say.

Please visit www.mentaltoughnesssecrets.com.