Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu Namu Buddhaya My dear friends,
Since we are still at the beginning of 2023,
I thought to give you a few tips based on the Buddha's teachings to make this year the best year of your life.
First and foremost,
We should learn our lessons from 2022.
Dear friend,
We had to face some bad consequences of some of the bad decisions that we made with the influence of defilements in our minds.
And we missed some opportunities because of the negative states in our minds.
But 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 and wholesome states of our minds.
We should acknowledge those decisions and we should identify and develop those positive states of our minds.
Then,
We should not bring the unpleasant and sad moments of 2022 to 2023.
Especially,
Don't give space in your mind to people who you think made troubles in your life in 2022.
How do we give space for them in our minds?
We think and picture them angrily in our minds.
And also,
We picture the unpleasant or sad moments in our minds.
Then,
We think according to it.
Dear friend,
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.
And also,
We all had wonderful and 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 some fun thinking about past memories,
We should be grateful for those moments.
We should be grateful to the people who made those moments nice and 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.
Dear friend,
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.
We should think big.
You should think big.
Because you have the energy.
You have the potential because of that.
Think big.
Take some time to think and set up a big goal for 2023.
However,
That goal is not a permanent thing.
It's not a constant.
We should be flexible enough to change it if we need to change it.
But if we don't set up a goal for 2023,
Then we will waste our time.
Next tip,
Dear friend.
We should develop the skills and talents that we need to achieve our goal.
And also,
We all should get rid of procrastination and laziness.
We should maintain our willpower.
Willpower is not a permanent thing.
It is 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.
Next tip,
We should be well organized.
We should try to do everything in a well-organized manner.
Then we should be innovative and do research and 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 and wise.
But we should get rid of those fears to achieve our goal.
And there is another huge obstacle on our way towards success.
That is the thought of,
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.
Dear friend,
If we think our cup is full,
When it's not,
We will die due to the thirst.
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,
Most of the time,
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.
Then we should associate with good friends.
Nowadays,
Some people say you become the average of five people you surround yourself with.
Buddha also says always associate with good and noble friends.
Dear friend,
If you want to make 2023 the best year of our lives,
We should associate with friends who help us practice healthy habits,
Getting rid of bad habits,
And help us to achieve our goals.
Then you should have a good financial plan.
Buddha says you should balance your income and expenses.
There are many people who try to live rich while having a poor income.
Buddha doesn't praise such a life.
And there are people who are rich but stingy and don't consume their wealth even for their well-being.
Buddha neither praises such a life.
You should have a balance of income and expenses.
Once Buddha gave a financial plan for his lay disciples.
Buddha said you should save 25% of your income.
Then you should invest another 50% of your income.
Yes,
You heard right.
You should invest another 50% of your income.
And you are only allowed to consume 25% of your income.
Dear friend,
I know this is not easy to implement in your lives.
I have been wondering too if this plan is applicable today.
But when I got to know 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.
And also their life starts to grow.
Then we should spend some time improving our physical strength.
Because to achieve our goals,
We need to have physical strength,
Physical energy.
So we should spend some time improving our physical strength.
And also we need to have good mental health.
We need to have mental strength,
Dear friend.
Without mental strength,
We can't do any of these things.
That is the most important thing in our lives.
We should give the priority to develop our mental health.
If we have a strong mental strength,
Then very easily we can do all of those things that we talk about.
To develop our mental strength,
One thing we can do is starting our day with a positive mind.
Dear friend,
If we really 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 every day morning after we wake up,
We can think I will make today one of the best days of my life.
And also throughout 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 and compassion toward all the beings in this world every day morning.
Then we set up the tone for the day.
And we can start our day with a positive,
Energetic and blissful mind.
Dear friend,
Another thing that we can do to strengthen our mind is practicing gratefulness.
We should be grateful to everyone who helped us and supported us in our lives.
Practicing gratefulness helps us to get rid of so many negative states in our minds.
And it makes us feel better.
It makes us be positive.
It is a wonderful thing that we can do to develop our minds.
Every day we should spend some time to remember the people who helped us,
Who supported us in our lives.
Another thing we can do to develop our mental strength is practicing generosity.
We should be generous with our time,
Energy and wealth.
Generosity helps us to get rid of stinginess.
Generosity helps us to get rid of jealousy and some fears that we have over our wealth.
Because sometimes people have fears of losing what they have.
But if we practice generosity,
Gradually they can get rid of those fears.
And also practicing generosity is a blessing for our lives.
It is 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 are generous.
If we practice generosity,
We can have wonderful healthy relationships with others.
Then we should always put effort into getting rid of negative thoughts and develop wholesome thoughts in our mind.
Negative thoughts weaken our mind.
Positive thoughts strengthen our mind.
Then we should understand the impermanence of this world.
This is the most important thing that we should practice to develop our mental health.
That understanding strengthens our mind.
We should understand everything is subject to change.
Nothing is permanent.
That understanding helps us to face to any situation that in front of us.
And it helps us to get rid of some pains in our mind.
It helps us to get rid of anxiety,
Depression.
And it helps us to stay positive always.
Because whatever happens in our life,
If we have the understanding of impermanence,
Then we know this too shall pass.
This is not going to last forever.
That understanding helps us to stay calm,
Stay positive,
Be energetic.
And it helps us to achieve our goals.
Last but not least,
Dear friend,
We should go to sleep with a happy and calm mind.
Before going to bed,
We can think about all the positive things that we did throughout the day.
And also we can practice gratefulness.
We can think about people who help us throughout the day.
And also we can practice a small meditation like loving kindness meditation.
Then we can go to sleep with a happy and calm mind.
With the energy to wake up early in the morning next day.
I wish you all the best for 2023.
May you have a wonderful year.
May you be successful in your endeavors.
May you be able to achieve your goals in 2023.
May you be able to practice all of those things that I talked today.
May you be able to make 2023 the best year of your life.
Thank you very much.
Namo Buddhaya.
