20 Ways To Jumpstart The New Year For Couples In 2018

Every year people make New Year’s resolutions, right? More often than not they fail at achieving those resolutions. However, what if this year was different? Imagine this year rather than unfulfilled resolutions; you actually set goals that you achieved. How would your life, love, and business be different? Think about it.

Thus, this year instead of setting a New Year’s resolutions, we encourage you to set goals. Hence, one of the biggest predictors of whether a goal will be achieved or not is whether you have a partner to help you accomplish those goals.

Imagine setting goals together with your significant other and not only holding each other accountable but really achieving those goals together. Victory at the finish line with your partner is so much sweeter than arriving alone. That’s why we create a list of ways to kick-start your New Year together!

Furthermore, remember if you find yourself overwhelmed or nervous, just start slow. It’s been said we can underestimate what we can achieve in 5 years and totally overestimate what we can do in a year.

1.Level up with new experiences doing 30 days sprints

Each month of the year, be committed to doing something NEW for 30 days in a row. Some ideas include exercising every day for 30 minutes, writing a handwritten note to someone you love each day for 30 days, visualizing your goals each morning, reading every day for 30 minutes before bed, commit to 8 hours of sleep, meditate each day for 20 minutes, journal or write 500 words every day for 30 days. The options are endless, but whatever you do make sure you do it for 30 days and notice the impact it has on your life by the end of the 30 days. Maybe it’s a habit you maintain for the rest of the year. You and your partner must not have the same goal in mind for the month, but maybe spending an hour with each other per day is a mutual goal you should share for 30 days; either way, hold each other accountable for trying out something new for 30 days and document how it changes your life.

2. Redefine your identity around fitness – then commit to it.

So many gym memberships are opened January 1 and never used again Feb 1. Why? Because when you simply go through the motions of achieving a goal without a deeper level of commitment, it’s easy to forget why you started this “painful” and “exhausting” goal of working out like a maniac in the first place. However, when you change your identity to just someone who has a gym membership and a New Year’s resolutions to a “pro athlete” or “strong and lean unstoppable machine” you’ll get a much deeper level of focus determination when it comes to your fitness goals. Would a pro athlete skip a workout? Never! Would a strong and lean unstoppable machine eat crap? Absolutely NOT! Both you and your partner need to write down the identity you need to embody to make your fitness goals come true.

3. Find volunteer opportunity or charity challenge.

4. Commit to compound interest

Indeed, the real magic happens when you invest in things that will make money for you. Go through your credit cards and cut up any you aren’t using. Cut out expenses that are a waste. Start an investment plan together or separate that which provides compound interest, it’s a game changer for your financial future. For more on setting up a solid financial plan check out www.unshakeable.com

5. Write a mission statement together that support your relationship

6. Practice kind self-talk and empowering thoughts

Indeed, words have so much power, yet so easily we let our thoughts or self-talk completely deter us from what we are truly capable of. Listen carefully to the thoughts you have and the things you say. Are they mostly positive and uplifting? Or are they negative and riddled with doubt? However, when we use more empowering language internally and externally our experience of life, love, business and wealth completely shifts. It changes your world and those around you just as much. Thus, with your partner make a commitment to no gossiping, no negative language, no self-doubt, or talking bad about anyone including yourselves.

7. Find a Coach or Mentor

8. Practice CANI – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement

Looking back on last year, what challenges did you face? What went great in facing those challenges? What did you learn from those challenges? What could be better next year to overcome those challenges? Alternatively, how will you avoid them?

9. Cultivate Deeper Relationships

They say your network is your net worth. This is very true. Whether you focus on stepping into a stronger and more rewarding peer group or simply strengthening the relationships with your family and friends, a great New Year’s resolution or goal you could set can also include working together in reaching out to friends, family or peers to do things that would bring you closer together, build trust, or possibly work on future projects together. Nonetheless, this is a powerful goal to set, but don’t just take it from us. In the 5 Regrets of the Dying, they said they wish they would have worked less and spent more time with loved ones. With cultivating deeper relationships as a goal, you’ll be sure not to have this same regret.

10. Redesign an Empowering Environment at Home or Work

Indeed, your external world greatly impacts your internal world. Ever notice when the dishes are piled higher than the dirty laundry that your mood starts to shift? Remember how great it felt last time your house had a deep clean? Now take that and let’s build off of it. For instance, start putting up photos and memories from your favorite moments in life in your office or around your home.

Next, dive into things that inspire you and put those around the house. This has been shown to greatly improve your mood and your productivity and excitement about the future. Design your home or office in a way that lights you up! Hence, if you and your partner live together and some of these objects clash in style, that’s pretty normal. Just dedicate certain spots for each of you. For some people, it’s a meditation station. For others, it’s your office. The rest of the house can be what goes together, and complement each other style-wise to keep it beautiful and inspiring.

11. Grow Your Income With The 80/20 Rule

This year set it as a goal for yourselves that you’ll commit 20% of your working hours to what contributes to 80% of your revenue or income. If you work 40 hours a week, that means 8 hours (or 1 full day) will be completely dedicated to cash flow initiatives. Imagine if both you and your partner consciously dedicated 1 full day a week (at least) to where 80% of your revenue comes from. You’re about to make it rain in 2018 together!!

12. Practice Gratitude Daily

One thing my husband, Jairek, and I love to do is going for our morning gratitude walk. Each morning we walk about 1-2 miles together along the bay and ocean in Mission Beach. We share a long list of all the things we are deeply grateful for about each other, about life, love, friends, health, you name it and we make it as specific as possible. It’s absolutely one of my favorite things and a great way to connect with each other and yourself. Anger cannot live where gratitude is, so it’s a great way to shake off a bad day, and the absolute best way to start your day.

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13. Stop a Bad Habit Together

What’s one thing you do that you wish you didn’t do? What’s one ‘bad habit’ you want to shake? Remember setting a goal together is far more likely to be accomplished than trying to do it on your own. Thus, between you and your spouse or partner decide what one thing you’re going to quit is. Then check in daily to see how you’re doing.

One important thing to note is that the best way to kick a bad habit is to replace it with one. You cannot simply stop a bad habit. You must replace it with a better one. Do you smoke? Figure out when you smoke i.e. what’s the cue that triggers the smoking? Is it stress?

Once you determine the cue to the bad habit, find a different habit to do when that cue occurs. For example, if you smoke when you’re stressed to feel a sense of relief (reward); what’s something you can do when you are stressed (cue)? Maybe walking for 15-20 minutes or meditating for 30 minutes (good habit). Would those make you feel a sense of relief (reward)? Find a new habit that you can do when the cue is triggered that also provides a positive reward. Even better if you can find something to do together.

14. Cut up the Credit Cards.

15. Plan your Dream Trip Together

Where will you go? What will you do? By when do you want to go? Plan out a dream trip with milestones to get there! May you set up a separate bank account to deposit savings into? Decide how much you’ll contribute each month. Make it not only a place to put extra money, but also a place to put money if you bail on one of your New Years’ goals!

16. Slow Down to Speed Up.

The world moves so fast these days that we constantly feel like we’re falling behind, but it’s not true. The fastest way to find you in the hospital is to fall into this hamster wheel running in circles due to over stressing yourself. Take time to plan out your goals. We are obsessed with thinking time in our house. We encourage you to slow down and think about where you’re going, why you’re going there… Reflect on gratitude for where you’ve been as well! In fact, spend 30 minutes a day with a journal to reflect on the past and get aligned for the future. It’ll be amazing to see what comes of it!!

17. Clean Out your Closets Together and Donate it to Charity

18. Schedule Regular Date Nights on the Calendar.

19. TEAM YES OR TEAM NO?

For some of you, you over commit yourself by saying yes to everything. For others, you say no to everything missing out on opportunities, experiences, and options. Whichever sounds like you, choose to do the opposite. Find yourself exhausted and stretch? It’s time to get clear on what activities you need to take off your “to do list” and focus on what really matters. If you’re a couch potato or live in your office, maybe it’s time to start saying yes to more. It’ll be amazing where it takes you!

20. Meditate Daily Together for 10 Minutes

Whether it’s first thing in the morning together or 10 minutes before you sleep off to sleep, the benefits of meditating together are absolutely amazing. As a couple, it’s a very powerful habit to build together and feel grounded yet connected as you start or end the day. We huge fans of the free meditation app with all sort of amazing meditations called Insight Timer or Muse a headband to help you track how well you’re meditating. Here are some of the benefits of meditating:

Meditation reduces stress.
It improves concentration. …
It encourages a healthy lifestyle.
The practice increases self-awareness. …
It increases happiness.
Meditation increases acceptance. …
It slows aging.
The practice benefits cardiovascular and immune health.