Three Actions to Create Peace and Prosperity in 2021

Three Actions to Create Peace and Prosperity in 2021

Three actions

to create peace and prosperity in 2021

New Year’s is around the corner. Are you making any resolutions? Want to change anything?

How about next year being your best year yet in creating peace and prosperity?

Here are three actions to put on your TO DO LIST for 2021:

1. Carve out 10% of your time to devote to inner peace and growth. You have 24 hours every day, so 10% would be 2.4 hours. You are thinking, “I don’t have that much time!” Are you sure? What about time spent watching tv or gaming? What about sleeping until the last possible moment to get up? If you want your best year yet, then you need to spend 10% of your time on YOU! What will you do with that time?

  • Meditate or pray. Do you want more peace? Meditation or prayer is a proven activity that lowers anxiety and increases both mental and physical health. Think about 5-15 minutes for meditation or prayer.
  • Journal. Every day enter a note about gratitude. When you foster a spirit of gratitude daily, you will notice a difference in how you go about the day. You will be less anxious about what you don’t have and more thankful that what you do have. Just read this quote. “I thought 2020 would be the year I got everything I wanted. Now I know 2020 is the year I appreciate everything I have.” Think about 5-10 minutes journaling.
  • Exercise. You don’t need to join the gym. Just move at least 30 minutes a day that can get your heart rate up. Consistent exercise releases all the good hormones and helps negate the bad stuff. If you need to lose weight, consistency will help, but nutrition is best. Think of at least 30 minutes for exercise.
  • Eat Good. Eating right takes time to actually slow down when you eat as well as making food that is good to eat. Nutrition might actually be the change with the biggest impact in your overall physical and emotional health. When I eat like crap, I feel like crap. If I eat good, I have higher energy and clear thinking. Both help me get things done, which in turn, creates peace and less anxiety over what is NOT getting done. Think about one hour for meals and meal prep. Slow down and eat right.
  • Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. Easy, right? Many people plan a day. Few plan a week. Create a template for a week that reflects your values and priorities including time for others. Plan your week based on the template including each day. Think about the ONE THING most important to complete each week. At the end of the year, you will have moved the needle in the areas that matter most. Want more peace and prosperity. This is a key one! Think about 15 minutes to plan your week and 5-10 minutes to prep for the next day.
  • Read. In some part of your day, take 10-15 minutes to read. That should be about a chapter a day. Depending on the book, that means a book completed about every two weeks. Coupled with listening to a book or podcast in the car, on a run, or working around the house, and you are LEARNING! Leaders are readers. Think about 15 minutes for reading.
  • OK. Depending on how you time the above out, you took 10% of the day for activities that will create health, peace and prosperity in 2021. Not as daunting as you thought, right?

2. Save 10% monthly. No rocket science on this one. One of the greatest enemies of peace is money and bills. What if you paid off all the debt and saved 10% each month? How would that effect your peace and prosperity by the end of next year? You don’t need to answer that. Set up an auto withdrawal to your savings or investment account. In other words, pay yourself FIRST, not LAST. Live within your means without the credit card. At the beginning, this can be hard. The peace that comes from no bills and money in the bank – priceless!

3. Give 10% monthly. Are you kidding me? Give away 10%. That is way too much! Before you just shut down on this one, think about how that money can impact others. Our family is starting a non-profit this year. The goal is for all us to give 5%-10% to the non-profit. Some of us already support other causes. Each month, a family member chooses where the money will go. We will have a few agreed upon rules, but a great deal of flexibility. I can’t wait to see how many people we can help just as a family. At the end of next year, Christmas will not just be about us. It will be about how we cultivated generosity and blessed others. What kind of peace and prosperity could you feel next Christmas if you gave away 10% of your income? You will never feel anything quite like it.

So, there you go. Three simple actions that can make 2021 your best year yet (and a great year for those around you, too!).

Wishing you all the best year yet in 2021!

Shalom,

Doctor Peace

Three Actions to Create Peace and Prosperity in 2021

Three Actions to Create Peace and Prosperity in 2021

My brother-in-law, Kurt, would always wait until the last minute to send us a gift. It was not like he was searching for the perfect gift. He would always send money, as late as possible. One year, it even arrived on Christmas Day. He was generous and fun. We miss Kurt. He still reminds me of the ultimate last-minute gift giver.

How about you? Need some last-minute gift ideas that will not break the bank as well as bring peace and smiles?

#1 – The Gift of Encouragement. This gift does not cost a thing yet brings a powerful effect. Write a hand-written letter, not just a note, with the healing and uplifting words of encouragement. Depression and anxiety levels have risen to records high in our nation. People are maxed out. When stress is high, patience is low. Our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors get our worst instead of our best. Those closest to us often receive the brunt of our frustration and anger. In the letter, specifically, call out character traits and actions unique to them that you and others value. My wife and I spend a decent amount of time separated these days between new grandbabies and caring for aging parents. We have a tradition of writing to each other every day while separated. During one week of separation, I wrote Sharlyne a note every day calling out a specific character trait or actions which not only I but others appreciate about her. She printed those out and place them in our fireproof safe. Without really thinking much about it, I gave her a gift of a lifetime. Words are powerful. Steward them wisely. Give a gift to others that does not cost a thing that will last a lifetime.

#2 – The Gift of Time. This is the gift that keeps on giving. For my 60th birthday, Sharlyne and my kids created a book of pictures with letters from each child and significant others. I treasure the book for all the reasons mentioned above. As I read each letter from my children, one thing stood out. Time. I was busy but made space for weekly Daddy Dates with my kids. I made space in the mornings to cook breakfast and blessed them before going off to school. The gift of time can be special moments that came from planning and intention. And, the gift of time can be simply showing up and being present moment by moment, day by day. How about wrapping a present of time this Christmas? A weekly “date” with your spouse. Don’t need to spend much money. You can take turns planning your weekly time together. The focus is time, not elaborate and expensive dates. How about your kids or friends? Create space regularly in your calendar. If something got in my calendar, then it happened. Without clearing the space, chances of it happening were rare.

#3 – The Gift of Serving. You may be a server constantly thinking of how to help others. If serving others is not top of mind for you, this can be an amazing gift to others around you. How about doing all the dishes for the Christmas meal? Or how about recycling boxes and Christmas paper after gifts are opened? Want a stretch? Plan to come back the day after Christmas to help clean. You can help take down Christmas decorations after New Year’s. Even better, think of something your partner, friend, co-worker, or neighbor would appreciate all year. Shoveling snow, bringing in the garbage cans, getting or making coffee, mopping the floors, making food, and so many other ways to serve that simply tell others you care. Life is not about you. Life is about sharing and caring. Give the gift of serving for Christmas and all year. Sharlyne is naturally a server. When I serve her, it speaks volumes. Little things like cleaning her car, loading the dishwasher, making her a latte constantly communicate she is important and loved.

There you have it. Three simple gifts that will not break the bank and bring peace and smiles to those you love. Merry Christmas from Doctor Peace.