Cheers to the New Year

Compliments of the new year to you all, I wish you all a blessed 2018 filled with plenty harvest. The New Year is upon us and many of us will have resolutions on what we want to do differently and what we want to improve on for this year. As I was going through the many well wishes that I received I thought I could share with you what my plan for 2018 is. I hope it can inspire you as you go into the New Year. I think one needs to go through the year with a backpack or handbag that will carry the tools needed to navigate the year ahead. These are some of the items I think will be useful for the year:

1. Have a theme

Decide right at the beginning what this year is going to be about for you. Yes things will happen that you may not have anticipated but it also helps to know that you have a broader theme…and a motto. For example your theme could be family and the motto could be ‘keeping it together’. Some other ideas could be studies, or health or finances. Whatever it is have a theme, this will help give you a sense of purpose for the year.

2. Have an exit plan

It is important to know how you want to finish the year and what you want to have achieved by then. The exit plan will ensure that you have a clear goal and you live your life intentionally. The truth is that we are all going to come out of this year, one way or the other. What you are hoping for is to finish it alive, and if you do may the end of the year not catch you by surprise. So have an exit plan … how will you finish the year? What will you need to do during the course of the year to ensure that planned exit manifests?

3. Update your occupational skills

What can you do to improve your work skills? What training or development can you look into? Do not wait for your organisation to offer you something, find something for yourself. Remember, your skill is for you to keep, when you leave the organisation you take it with you. So be proactive, do not leave your upskilling in their hands.

4. Learn something new

Plan to learn something new this year. Challenge yourself to learn something totally out of your comfort zone, different to what you usually do. It can be something domestic like cooking or knitting or as complex as a new language. The idea is that you keep yourself stimulated and you challenge yourself to acquire a new skill. You can never have too many skills in your handbag, even something that you thought was useless may actually open doors you never even thought of.

5. Have a reading list

Have a plan for what reading you want to do this year. You can pick a theme or have actual books that you want to target. You don’t have to go for what is trending or popular at the time but rather what interests you and what will make you a better person. If you are able to, join a book club …or even better, start one.

6. Give back, consistently

Find a way to give back and make a difference in someone else’s life. Do not wait for your organisation or your church do something. Find something that can fit seamlessly into your life so that it is easy for you to make time for e.g. if you love reading, make time to go read for old people or even children in homes. Whatever you do find something that will take your focus off you for a moment and on what others need.

7. Journal

I cannot overemphasis the importance of continually reflecting on your life. Make the time to think on your life. Many of us go through life on autopilot and don’t make the time to reflect on what is going on in or around us. You don’t have to do a ‘dear diary’ every night if that’s not your thing. Find creative ways to journal. Some people record their reflections, many of the current phones have recording functionalities. You could do it in an art form, draw pictures that reflect how your day or week has been…or write a song… there are even applications you can now use. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something to make sure you reflect on your life as it happens, instead of waiting for 31st December.

8. Be grateful

Lastly you will have a hard year if you do not adopt an attitude of gratitude. It is so easy to get caught up on what you think is not working in your life that you forget to appreciate the many things that are going well. Take the time and appreciate the privileges that you have been bestowed with. We all have something we can be grateful for. If you are really stuck start by appreciating the fact that you are alive and breathing, trust me before long you will have a long list.

I hope this has helped and I pray that your 2018 may exceed even your wildest dreams.

Cheers to the New Year!