We all kick-start a new year in different ways. Being a highly social person and someone who loves having a good time, I usually celebrate a new year in full party-mode.

Call it getting older and hopefully wiser, I decided to have a very quiet celebration with family to bring in 2016. I sat in retrospect a lot and decided to make a few healthy choices for my life, as opposed to crash-coursing everything.

As a result, here are some of the best ways that’s got me feeling good about 2016:

1. Forgive Yourself

I believe that one of the toughest gigs in life is to take stock of yourself and realise that you may have made some bad decisions, which has either hurt you and/or others. So, kick-starting the year by forgiving yourself of those hiccups is a great way to restart your life. More than that, make a promise to yourself that you will never repeat those mistakes again.

2. Forgive Others

Harder than forgiving yourself is the thought of forgiving others, especially when you feel like they don’t deserve it. However, when you hold onto hurts that people inflict on you, you get caught up in their bitterness and misery. Forgiving others doesn’t mean that what they have done or said to you is ok, even if they haven’t said sorry; it means that you are a bigger person than them. And it does not mean you have to be in a relationship with them too, you can move on freely without their baggage.

3. Let Go of Toxic People

Don’t we all know toxic people whose lives are filled with nothing but drama, lies, betrayal and chaos?! You have absolutely no obligation to have them in your life if they bring out the worst in you, even if they are a relative. Let them go and make room in your life for better people.

4. Stop Doing Things that Hurt You

One of the things I use to do that hurt me constantly was trying to please others all the time. Not only was it a waste of time, it was totally exhausting. I put a stop to being a people pleaser many years ago and my life is a lot happier. I haven’t become arrogant; I just don’t care what people think so much on the decisions I make for my life. Try it, it’s liberating!

5. Make Exercise a Lifestyle

I also put an end to being the queen of crash diets and fad exercises, especially with new year resolutions to exercise more, drink less, etc… you know the drill. It’s taken me years but it’s dawned on me that if I included 1 hour exercises 3-4 times per week consistently, my weight and energy would both be at their best. Three weeks into 2016, I’m feeling good about making exercise a regular part of my lifestyle.

6. Plan a Holiday

I travel overseas or interstate every year to get rejuvenated and spend time with loved ones. All it takes is good planning, budgeting skills and being disciplined about putting money away for the trip. A holiday, whether interstate or overseas, is always worthwhile and makes the year more pleasurable.

7. Be More Present

In this digital age, most of us are glued to our mobile phone devices 24/7; from the moment we wake up to when we go back to sleep. Every now and then, I take a one-month break from all my social networks. As a result, I become more present within myself and in the company of others.

8. Reconnect with Those Who Matter

Reconnecting with those you’ve lost touch with is a beautiful way to start a new year afresh. For the first time in my adult life, I finally chose to only reconnect with those who I know will bring peace and harmony into my life. It boiled down to looking at their character as a whole and deciding if they were worth making another effort for or not.

9. Declutter your Life

Clean out everything – from your closet, to papers in your filing cabinet that can be shredded, to photos on Instagram and people in your social networks. If someone or something no longer serves your new year’s purpose, let them go. The reward is an organised and an uncluttered space; throwing out the good to make way for the better.

10. Learn to Say “NO”

Finally, the best way to kick-start a new year is implementing the ability to say “no” without having to give a reason or an excuse. I feel authentic and real in that space of being able to freely express myself when I don’t want to do something that I don’t want to. Say no to others in order to say yes to yourself.

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right,” Oprah Winfrey.

If you have any new year tips to share with the hub, let us know below.