Do more of what you love, less of what you hate.

This 2021, step into the new year with a different mindset that’s gonna make you, not break you. This is the year we should start doing more of what we love. Start looking at where you’re at right now and take whatever you’ve got to the next level instead of trying to jump all the way to the top step, falling short, then hating it and yourself for it. All you will end up feeling is bitter and negative about not achieving what you wanted thus losing hope and giving up. And that’s not what we’re here for.

Doing more of the things you love and less of the things you “hate” could help you rekindle your passion and interest in various aspects in your life, such as work and even exercise! Start by pinpointing things you dislike or hate doing. This could be a very easy task if you have strong feelings about them. Then think of a way you could replace it with something you enjoy doing yet produce the same results, or even find a creative way to do it and turn it into a fun, fulfilling task.

The next thing you might want to do is to think of reasons why you feel a certain way towards activities you do not enjoy partaking in. They could be:

Boring

Everyone has different pick-me-ups and downers. For example, some people love reading and some dread it. The activity might not be boring in itself, but maybe it’s just not something that makes you tick.

Solution: Is it something you could delegate to someone else who might find more joy and purpose doing it? If not, find a way to motivated yourself, perhaps but treating yourself to something you enjoy afterward. You could even set a target to compete with yourself or even your peers doing the same thing.

Mundane

Same ol’, same ol’? Have you been doing the same thing everyday at work, or the same workout routine that you’re so tired of and don’t even feel like going to the gym anymore?

Solution: Find someone to do it with, or a new and more interesting way to do it! Set milestones and reward yourself so you feel good about completing the task. If it’s going to the gym, find a partner to go with. It’s always more fun with a friend around. Perhaps hire a personal trainer to help you up your game; change things up and challenge your body in new ways. 

Difficult

Sometimes we don’t like doing things because they’re difficult. Things that make us work too hard or think too much.

Solution: Change your mindset. Tap into that competitive spirit of yours – we all have it! Keep challenging yourself and pushing your mental and/or physical limits because that’s the only way we are going to grow as human beings. Maybe even grab the person next to you and ask for help! He/she might be working on something you might be better at too. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Time-consuming

When things take too long to complete, it gets frustrating as all you want to do is to get it over and done with so you can move on to the next task.

Solution: Take a look at the due date of all your other tasks. Are they all around the same? If not, begin with the ones with the closest due date, as tempting as it may be to simply start with the biggest/most time-consuming one which is often the easiest. Make a projection of how long you would take to complete this time-consuming task, delegate a certain amount of time each day to finish it, and stick by it. This makes it more enjoyable and less tiresome.

Distractions

Certain tasks can be a distraction to other which hold much more importance and value. This could significantly reduce your productivity and cause you to rush at the last minute.

Solution: Take a look at the due date of all your other tasks. Are they all around the same? If not, begin with the ones with the closest due date, as tempting as it may be to simply start with the biggest/easiest one. Prepare a timeline to prevent yourself from getting distracted as much. 

To wrap up, there are very few things in life we are going to like doing 100%. That’s life, and that’s what makes the positive aspects stand out. There is no light without darkness, no happiness without a little sorrow, and no strength without weakness. Such is the yin and yang of our universe. So be the change that you want to see in your life; Do more of the things you love doing. Do less of what you don’t, and turn these things into tolerable tasks or even something you grow to enjoy.