Since we are still at the beginning of 2023, We thought to give you a few tips based on the Buddha’s teachings to make this the best year of your life. 

First and foremost, We should learn our lessons from 2022. 

We had to face some bad consequences of some of the bad decisions we made with the influence of defilements in our minds.  And we missed some opportunities because of the negative states in our minds. We should not repeat those things again in 2023. We should understand the defilements or negative states that cause those problems, and we should determine to get rid of those defilements. 

And also we got wonderful results of decisions that we made with positive & wholesome states of our minds. We should acknowledge those decisions. And should identify and develop those positive states of our minds. 

We should not bring the unpleasant & sad moments of 2022 to 2023. Especially Don’t give space in your mind to people who you think make trouble in your life. How do we give space for them in our minds? We think & picture them angrily in our minds. And we picture the unpleasant or sad moments in our minds. Then we think according to it. It doesn’t do any good for us. It just destroys the energy we need to have for 2023. We should just let them go. 

All of you had wonderful & pleasant moments in 2022. But they are over now. We should not try to live with those memories. If we do, we will forget to embrace 2023. Instead of trying to have fun thinking about past memories, be grateful for those moments. Be grateful to the people who made those moments nice & wonderful.  

Then we all should have a goal for 2023. If we don’t have a goal, then there is no certain direction for us to move. It’s not a mere dream. It’s an aim that we set up with a strong purpose in our minds today. Don’t be afraid to think big.  Take some time to think and set up a big goal for 2023. 

• Develop the skills & talents that you need to achieve your goal. 

• We all should get rid of procrastination & laziness. We should maintain our willpower. Will Power is not a permanent thing. It’s a conditional and impermanent thing. It’s like a rechargeable battery with the capability of expanding its limit. When we feel a lack of willpower, we should recharge the battery of willpower. 

• We should be well organized. 

• We should be innovative and do research & experiments to achieve our goal.
  
  Sometimes we have an irrational fear of doing new things. We like to stay in our comfort zone. Because we think it’s safe & wise. But we should get rid of those fears to achieve our goal. 

There is another huge obstacle on our way toward success. That is the thought of “I know it” or “I know everything.” That thought keeps us from improving our life. It’s connected with our ego. That’s why buddha advises us to think, “I don’t know.” And Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, says, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish.”  If we think our Cup is full when it’s not, we will die due to the thrust.

We should always seek knowledge. 

Because sometimes we think there is no way to do it. It’s not possible. No one has done it before.  But actually, it’s all about the lack of our knowledge. Before we come to the conclusion that we can’t do it, we should do our research. Most of the time, the solution is just a google search away.

• We should associate with good friends. 

Nowadays, It says you become the average of five people you surround yourself with. Buddha also says always associate with good & noble friends. So if we want to make 2023 the best year of our lives, we should associate with friends who help us practice healthy habits and achieve our goals. 

• You should have a good financial plan. Buddha says you should balance your income & expenses. 

Many people try to live rich while having a poor income. Buddha doesn’t praise such a life. And some rich but stingy people don’t consume their wealth, even for their well-being. Buddha neither praises such a life. There must be a balance of income & expenses. Once, buddha gave a financial plan for his lay disciples. 

The Buddha said you should save 25% of your income. You should invest another 50% of your income. And you are only allowed to consume 25% of your income. 

I know this is challenging to implement in your lives. I have been wondering, too, if this plan is applicable today. But when I learned about a wonderful finance book, that doubt faded away from my mind. Yes, of course, this is not easy, but if someone tries to implement it, then their lives become financially stable. You can’t implement this overnight. But at least if you accept this plan and have a positive mind toward it, slowly but surely, you will be able to implement it in your life. 

We should spend some time improving our physical strength. 

 And also we need to have good mental strength. Without mental strength, we can’t do any of these things. To improve our mental health,

Start your day with a positive mind.

If you want to make 2023 the best year of our lives, we should make today one of the best days of our lives. Then eventually, 2023 will become the best year of our lives. So everyday morning after we wake up I will make today one of the best days of my life. During the day we can remind ourselves I should make today one of the best days of my life. 

And also, we can start our day with the practice of meditation. It’s wonderful to spread love & compassion toward all being in this world everyday morning. Then we set up the tone for the day. We can start our day with a happy, energetic, and blissful mind. 

Practicing Gratefulness.

Another thing we can do to strengthen our minds is practicing gratefulness. We should be grateful to everyone who helped us and supported us in our lives. Everyday we should spend some time practicing gratitude.

We can practice Generosity.

We can practice generosity. We should be generous with our time, energy, and wealth. Generosity helps us to get rid of Stinginess, Jealousy, and some fears that we have over our wealth because people have some fears of losing what they have. Generosity is a blessing for our lives. It’s a good karma that gives us good results. And it helps us to have healthy relationships with others. People like to associate with someone who is generous. 

Then we should practice at least one meditation every day.

We should always eliminate negative thoughts and develop wholesome thoughts in our minds. The negative thoughts weaken our minds. The positive thoughts strengthen our minds. 

 (If you participate in our programs, you can learn how to do it)

We should understand the impermanence of this world. It’s the most important thing we should practice to develop our mental health. We should realize everything is subject to change. Nothing is permanent.  That understanding helps us to face any situation in front of us. It helps us to stay positive always.  In any situation, we should remind ourselves, “This too shall pass.” 

Last but not least, We should go to sleep with a happy and calm mind. Before go to bed, we can think about all the positive things that we did throughout the day. And we can practice gratefulness. We can think about people who helped us during the day. We can practice a short meditation like loving-kindness meditation. Then we can go to sleep with a happy, calm mind with the energy to wake up early the next day.

We wish you all the best in making 2023 the best year of your life.