21 Things to Do for Yourself in 2021

We are in the middle of a pandemic; we are living in one of the toughest years ever in history. We hope things will get better in 2021. Very soon this year will be gone and we will be stepping into a new year. In this article, I have given the key things to focus on to improve your

→ Career

→ Self Improvement

→ Mental Health

→ Habits

in 2021. If you are able to follow these things in 2021, you can make next year the best one of your life.

Let us see it in detail.

1. Envision

All the successful people on this planet had envisioned their success way before they became successful. If you want to become successful, envision what you want to become and walk towards it. Do it every single day. Live your dream life in your mental image. Envisioning triggers your subconscious mind, and all your desires will become a reality. I personally excel in visualization, which has done wonders in my life. You can read more about visualization here and try practicing it daily to attract your desire.

Key takeaway: Envision your future self

2. Definite Goal

Nowadays, there are many articles been written on how setting goals are not important. The reason is, most of us map our mind that achieving goals gives us happiness or satisfaction. That is why when you are unable to achieve your goal, you are disappointed or giving up. It is okay to fail. It is okay not to achieve your goal. The important thing to be noted here is how you feel when you cannot achieve your goal. Never feel disappointed or never feel low if you are unable to achieve your goal. Your journey towards the goal is more important than the goal itself. During the journey, you will learn a lot, and you will become the next version of yourself for sure.

To become successful, you should have definite goals, and it is slightly different from setting a goal. I have given the difference here:

1. Goal = I want to get a job in a multi-national company

2. Definite Goal = I want to have a Senior Developer Job in XXX company located in XXX city. I will join there with a XXX annum package, and I will join in the next 60 days.

3. Goal = I will apply to some companies for my job

4. Definite Goal = I will apply to at least 5 companies thru online job portals, and I keep track of them. I will do a follow-up every three days for the jobs I have applied

Now, you learn the difference between goals and definite goals. Goals should always be definite with a clear envision.

Writing down your definite goals daily will have a huge impact on your subconscious mind. Always tell yourself you are going to crush the goal and strike it off from your notebook soon.

All the winners/entrepreneurs/successful people have their definite goals, and know it would be crushed soon.

Key takeaway: Have a definite goal with the timeline.

3.Role Model

Rewind to 2012; I have just joined a new project and learning many things new. It was a core banking project, and I thought it would be just another project in my career. But that was the project which has played a vital role in shaping up my career, and it was the staircase towards success in my life. The reason behind that is not just the project.

The reason is, I met two amazing leaders in that project and learned a lot from them. They both are my role models for my IT career. I am so grateful to write few words about them here :)

Dhinkar Ramamurthy — Whenever the word “Leader” comes into my mind, I visualize him. He was the one who has transformed many of his subordinates into leaders, and still, he is the inspiration for many in the Indian IT industry. I was lucky that I worked on his project, and the learnings through him were priceless. What is so special about him? Following are a few:

a) He empowers his team, team-first me next working style

b) He is easily one of the best communicators I have ever met in my life. This is one of the key qualities if you want to become a leader/successful in any field

c) He is a vivid reader, he introduces many good books to his team, leaders are good readers

e) The most important quality which I admired about him is, he is a great listener. He never disrupts when the other person is sharing his/her ideas.

Raja Lakshmanan — My stage fear was kicked out of my life when I first saw him speaking in a senior management meeting with super confidence. His confidence level has transformed into his team, and undoubtedly, he is the best when it comes to gel with the team. Plus, the following are a few more qualities in him that have made him my role model.

a) Pursue your passion: The way he handled the work-life balance was an eye-opener for me. Nine to Six he is an employee after six he switches on his passion for cricket, even now he plays cricket, it shows that we should follow our passion regardless of the stage of life we’re in.

Lesson learned: Learn to balance the work and your personal life/passion.

b) Networking: Raja knows almost everyone in the 5000+ employees campus. If you want to be good at networking, you should be down to earth, and that is when people will be attracted to you. Lesson learned: Treat everyone equally and be a people magnet.

The bottom line, to become a successful person in your field, you should have a role model and follow their footprints to learn the knowledge. You need not be a follower for them, but the learnings are key, and your success rate will be very high.

Key takeaway: Have a role model and learn from them

4.Health ( Mental + Physical)

I have worked with many CEO’s and senior leaders; they all have one thing in common. They give more importance to their health. They knew a healthy mind and body is the basement for their success. They meditate every day, do yoga or some outdoor activities more than 4 times a week. Their knowledge of health is way ahead of others. In fact, all successful people have this as a top priority.

Are you treating your mind and body in the right way? Ask this question, and your answer will decide your future. If you do not take care of your mind and body, life will shut the doors of opportunities, and life will turn against you. It is that simple.

Key takeaway: Treat your mind and body as a top priority

5. Read a lot on your focus area

Fifteen years back, when I decided to write short stories in Tamil, I did the following:

I read more than 3000 short stories written in Tamil within a month. I’ve read almost all the key writers’ work.

Why did I do it? If I want to write the best short story, I should know the best of best stories first and then try to write the story that was not written before.

Similarly, if you want to succeed in your field, first try to learn the successful people’s work in your field and then sharpen your ideas and implement it. For doing this, you need to read a lot. Reading enlarges your vision about life and helps you think bigger and wider. Embrace the reading habit, and you will never regret life for failures. All the successful people are the best readers, and we all know how many pages Warren Buffet read daily :)

Key takeaway: Read a LOT, dot.

6. Zero Procrastination

Unsuccessful people start things, Successful people finish things — unknown

The real productivity killer is Procrastination. Organize your daily tasks and try to complete it even if you have no idea “how” to do it. If you start it, it will take you to completeness. I can give you an example here. As a poet, sometimes I do not know how to write the first line of the poetry, but when I sit to write, I start with something then the flow will be fueled. Within a few minutes, a beautiful poem will be blossom. The key thing to be noted here is never delaying your tasks. Just write the first line of your dream book; just take the first step towards your dream business. The rest will be taken care of by your mind. There are plenty of sources available on the internet to kill procrastination and become more productive. You are just a click away.

Key takeaway: To become successful, never procrastinate.

7. Half-Empty Cup

We all are small droplets in the Universe. You cannot find a person who knows everything. There is always room for learning. There is always lots of things to be learned in the space where you are excelled. Never allow your mind to become a filled cup. Always have space in your mind. Always have an open mind for learning. Successful people never boast that they know everything in their field. They may be experts in their field, but they knew there are people ahead of them in knowledge. Also, they have a hunger to learn all the time. To learn something new, you should be a half-empty cup all the time.

Key takeaway: Have a hunger to learn all the time, even if you are an expert

8. Value

If you do not provide value through your work/business, it is an effort wasted. All the super successful people have brought value through them to others.

“What value do I bring through this project/task/business/writing?” ask yourself this question every time you are launching something new to this world because only the thing which brought values to the people has lasted ever. You are reading this article and spent over 6 minutes now. If this article does not give you a takeaway or value, it means I am wasting your time. If this article gives you value, you benefit as a reader, and am satisfied as a writer.

Successful people are masters in this part. They bring value through their work. Be a value generator and see how fast you become successful in your focused area.

Key takeaway: Be a value generator

9.Commendation

Appreciate others. Appreciation brings you more productivity, but it also brings smiles and satisfaction to others and you. Did you appreciate someone today? We all have one life. We should appreciate it. We all have one body. We should appreciate it.

Successful people/leaders appreciate even tiny things. They do treat a janitor and a CEO at the same level. All through my career, I have seen two different types of people, those who complain, and those who appreciate it. Those who complain all the time ended up as a failure. Those who appreciate are living a dream life.

Key takeaway: Never complain, start appreciating

10.Laughter

Laughter releases stress from the body. Laughter nullifies your anger. Laughter makes your soul happy. Laughter makes you free from dis-ease.

The more you laugh, the more your life will become meaningful. Being happy all the time itself a key skill, and successful people are very much skillful at this. Even they are super busy, and they do have time to laugh.

Key takeaway: Laugh a Lot!

11. A tiny change in your habit

We have many habits. Good and bad. If you do an activity repeatedly for 21 days, it becomes your habit. We all know this. Let us make a very tiny habit which can bring happiness as a bonus to our life.

Today, visualize the sky is blessing you. Close your eyes for five minutes and imagine those clouds, those blue sky, that fresh breeze, and the birds flying in the air; everything is blessing you today. It is like a raindrop touching your head and giving a blessing. You are walking on a road, and the sky is blessing you. Your soul is chilled. You feel so grateful for this remarkable thing called LIFE.

Now slowly open your eyes, your heart is weightless now, you feel like a feather. All your pain is gone; you feel so energized and purified.

Well, someone is knocking on the four doors of your heart. The name of that someone is “Happiness.”

Practice this every day, your mental health will improve, and you will be in a happy state all through the day.

12.Peace power affirmation

It is one of my favorite practices. When I feel low or face a tough challenge in life, I do this for a few minutes.

If your thoughts are trying to overpower you, say to yourself.

“I am very peaceful right now; my mind and soul is at peace.”

Keep affirming this for five to ten minutes; you will see an instant change in your heart, which is nothing but the happiness has taken a secure place in your heart. You have “attracted” happiness into your soul.

13.Focus on your favorite task

Doing push-ups is my favorite thing in the early morning when I think of doing it, I’ll jump out of bed and do it. It was one of the toughest workouts in the beginning, but not now. Every day I have a count to achieve. When I reach my push-up count, I feel so satisfied, and that is when my heart feels happy. Here, happiness is a bonus thing that comes to me when I complete my favorite task.

Same way, every day, do your favorite thing. It need not be a tough one. Choose the easiest one first. It could be watering your balcony plants. It could be combing your pet. But do it daily. Every day once you complete your favorite task, you will be filled with happiness.

14.Practice Self-Love: Always

“Happiness is a state of mind that has nothing to do with the external world.” — Lord Krishna

During my college days, I was a person who always likes to listen to sad songs and fill my heart with unknown sorrows. My friends used to tease me why is this guy still want to be in that tragic zone. For me, loneliness could be the reason behind it. But at some point in time, after reading many books, I learned that self-love is the base for a better living.

If you love yourself, the following things will happen to your life:

You will become free, from the external world, from the opinions of others

You will realize the power of self-love

You will succeed in all aspects of life

Your happiness will bring more joy to the people around you

and More

Start practicing self-love; you will have a life filled with infinite happiness.

15. Self-Awareness Quotes

Let’s see few self-awareness quotes that can uplift our low energy to high energy and bring happiness into our Life. Read these quotes when you need an instant boost in your energy.

“For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You are the greatest project you will ever get to work on. Take your time. Create magic.” — Morgan Harper

“The sun is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine our own light.” — Sara Ajna

“Once you start laughing, you start healing.” — Sherry Argov

“It’s in the darkest moments that we find our greatest strengths.” -Steven Atchison.

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” -Roy Bennett.

“You cannot always be strong, but you can always be brave.”-Beau Taplin

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make, makes you. Choose wisely.” — Roy T. Bennett

“It’s not your job to be everything to everyone.”- Shanna Skidmore

“Stop Hating Yourself for everything you aren’t. Start Loving Yourself for everything that you are” — Unknown

16. Gratitude

Gratitude plays an essential role in improving mental health. Writing gratitude practices enhances your life in many ways. It improves your sleep. It increases your mental strength. It helps you to overcome trauma.

It is not just a daily challenge; start doing this practice daily from today. You will see a massive positive shift in your life. All your mental issues will go away, and you will be energized and live a beautiful life. If you cannot do this forever, at least do it for 21 days from today. By the time you complete the 21st day, you will be an all-new human and understand life better than before.

a) Appreciate your body

Our body is the place we live in. Are we grateful for it? How many times are we thankful for having a healthy body? Today, appreciate your body. Take a paper and a pen writes like the below:

Example:

I am so happy and grateful that I have a healthy body

I am so happy and grateful that my eyes are healthy

I am so happy and grateful that my heart is healthy

I am so happy and grateful that my brain is healthy

I am so happy and grateful that my legs are strong and healthy

Like this, write for all your internal and external organs. When you write, feel so good and thankful. Never do it just for the sake of writing.

b) Be grateful for small things

We are in a world that has made a fake illusion that life is for BIG things. It is a big NO. We should be grateful to have small things. We should look around us and be grateful for what we have.

Example:

I am so happy and grateful for the plant I grow on my balcony.

I am so happy and grateful for the water I drink.

I am so happy and grateful for the air I breathe.

I am so happy and grateful for the house I live in.

I am so happy and grateful for the mobile I use to connect with my friends and family.

You could write more and more if you start realizing the smaller things in life. I am not saying water, air, house are smaller things, but we usually forget this and take it for granted. Just think about how many people do not get good water to drink or a house to live in.

When you write about gratitude, your soul becomes so pure(that is the real state of our soul), all your unnecessary thoughts, overthinking, anxiety, stress will go away. Most importantly, your “inner critic” will shut the mouth.

c)Empathy

Gratitude practices enhance empathy. You will understand others better. You will think in their shoes and try to solve their issues. Your level of thinking about helping others will rise.

You will come to know that if you encounter a situation against you, you will not react; instead, you will respond.

17. Sub-conscious Self Talk

We all know how self-talk can help us before we start any task, but to develop it as a result given habit, speaking to self during a particular state of mind is essential. That state is the “Alpha” state. To provide you with an easy example, When we sleep, we are in an alpha state. If we want to enter into that state, meditation is one of the easiest ways.

We need not do meditation for hours like a sage. However, a few minutes of daily meditation will help calm your mind and kill your unnecessary thoughts. After the meditation, immediately do quick self-talk about your goals, things to achieve in life, happiness, or whatever you wanted to feed to your Subconscious mind. It has helped me a lot, and I was able to do many things.

Key take away on this habit: Quick Meditation

18. Early Morning Me-Time

We are living in a world which keeps us in a busy mode always. We keep running and living for others most of the time. We work for our boss’s dream, we do all the hard work for our family but are we spending some time with ourselves every day?

If you spend an early morning “me-time” only for you, only for your ideas, only for your thoughts, only for your health, you will see a massive change in your outlook, in your self-image, and self-improvement. You will see the next version of yourself in a year. It seems to be a simple habit, but it is a powerful habit that helped me a lot.

Key take away on this habit: Me-time

19.Nature walk

I live near a hill, and every week I walk up the mountain in the early hours along with my friends. I do not carry my mobile phone and speak to those beautiful clouds, roadside flowers, butterflies, birds, and a healthy conversation with friends. It is always needed to reawaken the child in our inner self.

After the two hours of hill-walk, I sit down to write, and that is when most of my articles born with a different insight about life, self, and self-awareness.

Key take away on this habit: Speak to Nature.

20. Read

Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. — Joseph Addison

Reading is a must if you want to achieve your goals. Please read the articles based on your goal, and take notes of it. Read the notes the next day.

Reading gives you a different perception that will help you reach your goal more quickly. It is a compound effect of acquiring the knowledge you need to reach your goal. Self-education is a must to achieve your dream.

21.Be with positive mindset people

It is easy to find people with a negative mindset. You can find them everywhere in the park, in your office, in your family. They see everything negatively and keep sharing that negativity to others. At the same time, finding a positive mindset people is essential to go away from naysayers and live a life filled with positivity.

Positive mindset people are the real driving force when you share your dream to them, they appreciate even a tiny thing, and that makes your mind & heart happy, and you will sprint toward your dream.

Key takeaway: Be a positive person or be with a positive person is one of the significant ways of achieving your dream

Final Thoughts

“Whether You Think You Can, or Think You Can’t … You’re Right” — Henry Ford

It is all in you. Be the master of your life. I wish you all the very best and a successful year ahead.