habits for 2014

Here are a few changes you might consider adding to your list: 1. Take better care of yourself. Not because you’ll get ripped or because the opposite sex will find you even more irresistible, but because you deserve it. Because you will be more focused, happier, and a whole lot more fun to be around. For years, I struggled with staying fit and eating well, so trust me when I say not to do this for anyone but yourself. The only way to really make it work is to understand and appreciate why your health is important for you, not your spouse or child or grandmother. For this habit to work, you have to be specific. Here are some easy ways to stay healthy that most people overlook: ■Sleep seven or eight hours a night. ■Drink at least a gallon of water per day. ■Go for two, 15-minute walks every day. ■Give yourself at least 30 minutes of quiet time per day, even if you’re an extrovert. ■Tell someone you love them (and actually mean it). ■Take a day of rest. 2. Write every day. Writing is the best form of developing self-awareness that I know. It helps me make sense of the world and get more in touch with myself. As Flannery O’Connor once said, “I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” A daily writing habit will make you look smarter, sound more eloquent, and communicate more clearly. Don’t neglect it,because you’re “not a writer.” It’s an essential habit for anyone in the people business (which is just about everyone). A good place to start is 500 words per day, written before breakfast, so that the busyness of the day doesn’t crowd out your good intentions. Email doesn’t count, but blogging does. The world needs your words, whether you realize it or not, so please get started. 3. Make scary plans. Commit to doing one thing per month that you’re not sure you can do (if you need to go light on yourself, start with doing something every other month). For instance, in February, I’m teaching a two-day workshop on email marketing for a live audience. I’ve never delivered that much content before (I’ll be presenting for a total of about 10 hours). I could totally fail and embarrass myself in front of thousands of people, but that’s why I’m doing it — because it might not work. Because I did the “safe” thing for almost a decade, and it didn’t get me much, just made me scared of change. This is what I’m learning about life. If we don’t take risks, if we don’t treat our lives like a story we will one day tell our grandchildren, we’ll miss something. We’ll hedge our bets and hold back, and in the end, we’ll miss out. If you want to have the best year of your life, you don’t need a plan so much as you just need to be brave.