Several days ago, I came across this article, entitled “12 Tools For Mindful Living” by Leo Babauta and have been revisiting it ever since. As the article states, it’s a toolset to help you achieve your goals, whatever those may be.

I’m not one for making grand new year’s resolutions, but I think these tools are worth trying whether it’s a new year or not. Of the 12 tools, the following three in particular are ones I plan to focus on:

Become okay with Discomfort.
The fear of discomfort is huge–it causes people to be stuck in their old bad habits, to not start the business they want to start, to be stuck in a job they don’t really like, because we tend to stick to the known and comfortable rather than try something unknown and uncomfortable. It’s why many people don’t eat vegetables or exercise, why they eat junk, why they don’t start something new. But we can be okay with discomfort, with practice. Start with things that are a little uncomfortable, and keep expanding your comfort zone.

Be Curious.
Too often we are stuck in our ways, and think we know how things should be, how people are. Instead, be curious. Find out. Experiment. Let go of what you think you know. When you start a new project or venture, if you feel the fear of failure, instead of thinking, “Oh no, I’m going to fail” or “Oh no, I don’t know how this will turn out”, try thinking, “Let’s see. Let’s find out.” And then there isn’t the fear of failure, but the joy of being curious and finding out. Learn to be okay with not knowing.

Be Grateful.
We complain about everything. But life is a miracle. Find something to be grateful about in everything you do. Be grateful when you’re doing a new habit, and you’ll stick to it longer. Be grateful when you’re with someone, and you’ll be happier with them. Life is amazing, if you learn to appreciate it.

So, here’s to 2014 and more mindful living—full of discomfort, curiosity and gratitude.