9 Powerful Resolutions to Level Up Your New Year
Hey you. Yes, you. What’s your plan for 2024? Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Making more money is one of my goals this year. Writing every week is also something I intend to achieve.
Calculating the expenses I had to resolve at the beginning of the year, I just knew something had to change. Is that your story too?
Good news. 2024 is your year to shine! Follow these 9 actionable resolutions to transform your life, career, and well-being.
1. Learn a New Skill
...And Daniel proposed in his heart…
Learning a new skill starts from your mind. You might say I don’t need a new skill, are you sure though? Wouldn’t it be nice if this year, you actually know how to operate that computer software you have had to call your colleague to help you out with?
Maybe learn how to make coffee to your taste. You could also take up a new language. Photography, dancing, cooking, tech skills, self-defense, musical instruments - It could be anything.
Learning a new skill doesn’t necessarily mean you need to enroll in a class, it means you seek to improve yourself in an aspect you consider yourself weak in.
Better yet, a new skill can be a new side hustle. Bringing in more money for your enjoyment.
However, don’t do something you are not interested in. If you are not passionate about something nor find it fun, you tend to quickly lose interest.
2. Financial Empowerment: Invest and Save
Getting the credit card bill is not a happy moment. At least not for me. I know it has been said that saving cannot make a man rich.
However, it can give you the boost you need in your investing game.
Passive income is a good example of a New Year resolution. You don’t want to be caught unawares this year. Make up your mind to save and invest.
N.B: While choosing what investment platform to use, make sure you learn about the market.
3. Cultivate Inner Peace Through Meditation
This can help you get a new outlook on life. (Getting a therapeutic massage also counts. Winks). While meditating, visualize your goals, and identify ways to achieve them.
It helps you to be patient, even towards that annoying colleague. Try it now, breathe in, breathe out. It also helps you remain calm especially when you are nervous.
4. Exercising: Getting Fit for Confidence and Well being
This hasn’t been said enough. Getting your body in a fit shape can give you confidence, not only about your physical body but also psychologically.
Being able to consistently exercise even if it is twice a week can make you feel good about achieving anything.
Get an accountability partner, this will help make it fun and keep your New Year resolutions possible.
5. Go Out and Beyond
This year, propose to do something beyond what you usually do. Think outside the box and plan to change your status quo. Leave your comfort zone.
Have you tried presenting your project instead of leaving it to the team lead every time? Or maybe speak to that lady about her shoes, you do like them. You are smart enough to lead that new project, why not shoot for it?
Even if our circumstances limit us, let’s find ways to overcome that. Speak up if you never do (don’t remain a yes-man) learn to say no. It is a new year. Be bold this year.
6. The Art of Delegation and Leadership
Sure, you are the boss, but it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. You aren’t the only one who understands the project, give room for your subordinate to grow.
Sorry, you are still the intern, try not to take any and every job thrown at you. You are also allowed to delegate. This also shows that you have leadership skills.
An agile team is the goal and decentralization allows everyone to feel ownership of the project ensuring a better result.
7. Pursue Excellence and Knowledge
It does not matter what role you play at work or your profession, there is always room for improvement. Something other people in your field are already imbibing or doing, either in your country or abroad.
Seek knowledge and your rewards will never end.
8. Self-care and Taking breaks
This year, decide within yourself to give yourself room. Even if you are a stay-at-home wife and mother, it is still a full-time role, take space to breathe.
Most of the time, it leaves you feeling full and refreshed, with a clearer view of things.
The school holidays are there for a reason, dear teachers. I know the hustle is real, but even our phones need to be restarted at least once a week to function properly and that’s just a man-made invention. You are a protoplasm that needs to rest.
Sleep when you need to. At the very least, sleep for 6 hours. Drink enough fluids. Your body will thank you for this later.
9. Never give up
We are just starting this year; we don’t accept failure. We might fail, but we are not going to stop there. We do not give up. Failure just means to try again differently.
I do understand, that learning a new skill, exercising, meditating, speaking up and everything in this post won’t be easy to do. In fact, we might get shut down sometimes.
But, if you want to feel good about who you are at the end of this year, then you must rise again. (I love this song, Try Everything by Shakira from Zootopia. Love the animation too).
5 Tips on How to remain Motivated
A. Get an accountability partner.
You might have fortitude, but I don’t (lucky you?), so I got a partner. Someone to push me when I find it hard to go on.
My accountability partner is also my competitor so I’m in a race you might say. Or you might get a mentor or a coach.
You will find it hard to give in to weariness when there is someone to help you.
B. Give yourself space to breathe.
Last year, I worked on being fit and flexible to maintain a good posture. During the process, my instructor always gave me a day to rest, usually after every five days.
Taking flexible online classes will help you retain more and keep you consistent. Hypertension and high blood pressure are serious.
You can’t learn a new skill immediately, give your brain rest.
C. Set a smart goal.
Note, a SMART one. If you haven’t even gotten hiking boots and the goal this year is to climb Mt. Everest, how exactly do you plan to achieve that?
Set realistic and attainable goals. Is your goal to eat fruits throughout the year? Simple.
It is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and better still time bound. Start small and work up to it.
D. Keep a Tab of what you are doing.
You need to organize your day. There are many apps to help you do that these days. Todoist is one of the most popular, Google planner also helps.
E. Finally, celebrate your wins.
Just like people celebrate day 3 of their relationships, celebrate 1 week of keeping to your goal. Mark it in a calendar. This will encourage you and keep you moving.
There you have it. New year resolutions are one of the hardest to follow. According to a survey by The University of Scranton’s, only 8% of people achieve their new year resolutions. Propose this year to be a part of that minority.
The goal this new year is progress, not perfection. More wins this year.
