Welcome 2017: Start the New Year Right

2017 is just around the corner, are you excited? Before we bid goodbye to 2016, let us first go back and reminisce the laughters, joys, tears, sadness and all the rollercoaster of emotions that this year gave us. Cherish all our new discoveries, accomplishments and life improvements. Remind ourselves of the lessons learned and let go of all the negativities, in order to start fresh. Some of you may already have drafted their resolutions for next year. Like you, I also created a list which I don’t want to call a resolution, instead I would like to call it the way of life I wanted to adopt this coming year. In order to easily remember it, I used the word NEW YEAR. 

N | Note down your plans

This is not just planning for the whole year, but rather doing a list of what you want to accomplish every single day. Keep a daily planner or just a simple notebook and then before you go to bed, jot down everything you want to do the following day. This will make you more organized and focused with the activities you wanted to complete.

E | Establish a healthy lifestyle

I used the word establish because according to an article I’ve read, a healthy lifestyle is a choice that we have to make. I’m not an expert on this, like you I’m struggling to say yes to exercise, and say no to sweet and salty foods. A healthy lifestyle is something that can’t be done with a snap, it’s a long term commitment that needs a lot of effort and sacrifice. But we can achieve it, little by little. How? I know you already know the answer to this, since it is just the same things over and over. But anyway, here it is still: discipline yourself when craving, start befriending fruits and veggies, make an effort to cook your own meals, drink lots and lots of water, move your ass out and start doing simple exercises, get enough sleep, avoid stress and so on. Just keep in mind to avoid short cuts and reward yourself with cheat days once in a while.

W | Wash away unnecessary load

The term to simplify this is declutter. Get rid of all the bad habits, bad influence people, bad relationships, anger, stuff or items that you don’t use anymore and has been sitting in your house or closet, or whatever it is that is keeping you away from having a happy, healthy, clean and stress free life. Take note that I used the word unnecessary, meaning you can live your life without any of it.

Y | YOLO (You only live once)

Yes, I certainly believe in this. So stop sitting and day dreaming about the things that you wanted to do. Whether it is traveling to your dream destination, getting your dream job, starting your own business, doing your passion or whatever it is, the key here is to start planning and do something in order to put that dream into reality. Remember, you only live once, so make the most out of it.

E | Evaluate your finances

I am an accountant by profession, but I have to admit that I’m not an expert when it comes to personal finances. So how to simply do this? I guess the first step is budgeting. Apply the 80-20 rule, meaning 80% will be for spending and 20% will be kept for saving. By the time that you receive your salary, you already know where to allot it. You can also increase the percentage for saving once you get used to this process. Next is eliminating your debts. These may be credit card debts or personal loans which you incurred out of purchasing those items that you just want. Pay it off and limit your spending to your budget. Lastly, live within your means.

A | Allot time for prayer and silence

Today, we live in a world where everything is fast paced, competitive and demanding. It seems like everyone is busy with a lot of things, whether it is your work, family or studies, and this usually leads to feeling burned out. This coming year, make it a habit to pause and just be silent for a while. Reconnect with yourself and clear your minds in order to be more productive and efficient with what you are doing.

It is also during our silence that we take time to praise, reconnect and give thanks to our Lord. But it should not stop there. Make it a habit to pray; pray upon waking up, pray before and after your meals, pray before you sleep or pray anytime you wish to talk to Him, He is always listening anyway.

R | Reach out to families, friends and people in need

Internet and social media dominates our daily lives. One may say that it is impossible not to get in touch with anybody. Well that may be true, but the question is how do you reach out? It is not enough that you liked or comment on a certain post, or greet your friend happy birthday in Facebook. Try to make an extra effort by visiting or going out with your family and friends,  calling a friend just to ask how they are, attending a special occasion or other simple acts that will rekindle your relationship with them.

I would also like to add here the acts of kindness that we can do to the people in need. We can reach out to them by giving donations, participating as a volunteer to charitable events or even sponsoring a child’s education (check out World Vision). There are a lot of ways, we just have to be mindful of the needs of others.

There you go guys! I hope that I have inspired you with the list above or encouraged you to do your own list. Bear in mind not to rush into changing something instantly in your life. Just be patient with yourself, take your sweet time and do things little by little.

Here’s to wishing everyone a Happy, Prosperous and Promising New Year! May God bless us all! Cheers!

P.S.: I would love to know your resolutions and the things you are looking forward next year. If you would like to share it with me, you may leave a comment below. Thank you.