Making and Keeping your Resolutions in 2018
Making
and Keeping your Resolutions in 2018
By E. Stanley Ukeni
I would like to extend a hardy
Happy New Year greeting to everyone reading this article. I am glad you made it
safely into 2018. Of course, the New Year is traditionally the period of new
beginning. So, like the beginning of past years, this year offers us the
opportunity to resolve to improve and better ourselves—and to improve the
quality of our material welbeing.
In keeping with the New Year
traditions, many of us make ambitious New Year’s resolutions—mostly with the
genuine intent of keeping their resolutions throughout the year, only to find
themselves break them before the end of the first quarter of the year.
One of the reasons we fail to
keep our resolutions is that we often commit ourselves to making changes to our
lifestyle that would be expensive for us to sustain with relative ease. I can
assure you that if your resolutions becomes expensive to maintain, it is only a
matter of time before the strain of keeping up with the financial obligation
required to keep the resolution would compel you give it up.
One of the sure ways of guaranteeing
that you keep to your resolutions throughout the year is to ensure that it
would cost you little or nothing to implement your resolution until the end of
the year. Better still, your resolutions should actually help you save money
during the course of the year. Yes, this would support your resolve to be
richer by the end of the year.
Money is energy; as such you
must be deliberate in how and where you allocate energy for maximum impact, in
2018. Mastering the ability to effectively manage and judiciously allocate your
energy where it is most useful in improving your general wellbeing is an
important aspect of achieving your goals in 2018.
In other to figure out how to
best direct your energy, it is important to write down, or commit to memory,
your core aspirations, or the objectives, you wish to accomplish during the
course of the year. Some examples could be something like traveling to an
exotic location; improving your physical and mental wellbeing; or perhaps
paying off your debts and improving your finances.
Once you have articulated your
goals for the year, make your New Year’s resolutions to align with how to most
effectively accomplish your defined aims. This will help you to direct your
energy where it is most needful.
Here are some examples of how
your New Year resolutions would not cost you money and still bring you
fulfillment during the course of the year.
1.
If you’ve resolved to find love and to be
married during the year, you need not join expensive dating service. In fact,
you should not have to expend a fortune to find love…true love does not cost a
dime. All you need to do is to orient your mind to the desire to love and be
loved. If your mind is tuned to the frequency of love, you’ll be more apt to
recognizing the vibe of love in others. Make it a point to attend social
gatherings where the sort of partner you’d want in your life would most likely
be present. Pay some attention to your personal hygiene and grooming…appearance
does matter.
2.
One of the most popular New Year resolutions is
a resolve to maintain a healthier lifestyle. If you are one of those who’d
resolved to live healthier and look better in 2018, it shouldn’t have to cost
you an arm and a leg to achieve your goals in the New Year. You do not have to
spend a ton of money for gym membership to get in shape in 2018. You can
achieve the goal of regular exercising by jogging or walking regularly at a
park, or around your neighborhood. Workout at home doing such exercises as
push-ups and stretching. Research creative ways of exercising and apply them to
your daily routine. For instance, instead of taking an elevator take the stairs
whenever possible. Climbing the stair is a free way of burning a few calories.
3.
If you’ve resolved to reduce your debt, or
better still live debt free, in 2018 then good for you. This is a good
resolution—one that requires a measure of disciple on your part. You don’t need
to shell out money for an expensive accountant or financial adviser to
accomplish this goal. All you need to do is create a budget and stick to it.
Living within a budget might be a bit difficult for some of us initially, but I
assure you it’d get easier with time. For those of us who are married or have a
significant other, you should set aside time, at least twice a month, to review
your budget and discuss financial issues. This would definitely help reduce
money related conflicts during the year.
4.
Those who have resolved to improve their
finances in 2018; you may want to start by reading my blog post on the
Impediments to Success and Powerful Habit that Conditions the Mind for Wealth Acquisition. If you true hope to
actualize your New Year’s resolution of attaining financial independence in
2018, you have to educate yourself about how to manage money. In order to
improve your knowledge of financial matters, you have to read at least one
article on finance related topic every week. This is an important habit to form
if you aim to be successful. After all, it a well-established fact that most
successful people spend time, on a regular basis, to enhance their knowledge
and improve their social and professional skills. You can start doing this by
listening to podcasts and YouTube videos on self-help and self-improvement
related topics. Do this while you exercise or are engaged with household
chores, and you’ll soon notice remarkable improvement in your understanding of
how to go about achieving your stated aims.
5.
If your New Year’s resolution is to reduce
stress, it’s not particularly necessary to spend money to join a yoga class.
Just get in the habit of taking time every day to relax and reflect on your
life. During this period of quiet reflection, take deep breaths…and focus your
mind on the things you’re grateful for. The practice of regularly expressing
inner gratitude for the positive things in your life has been shown to
significantly reduce stress levels. If you do this, even for a minute daily,
you’ll notice remarkable calmness in your spirit. Equally, take time out
regularly for prayer and meditation. This is free, and its effect in reducing
stress is quite remarkable. Try this, and you will be pleasantly amazed by the
results.
6.
I have two recommendations for you to add to
your New Year’s resolutions—if you have not already done so. You should resolve
to volunteer your time, talent and energy to helping those in need. This does
not necessarily have to cost you money. The rewards from engaging in acts of
kindness not only boost your self-esteem and sense of self-worth, but it also
would enhance your mental, emotional and psychological wellbeing and extend
your life span.
7.
I also recommend that you adopt the habit of
daily journaling. Write down interesting thoughts, desires and experiences. If
you are having difficulty starting this process; then start by writing down the
things you are grateful for in life. Then continue by writing whatever thoughts
and ideas that come to your mind. Over time, your expressed thoughts and
opinions could spawn a book or a series of books that would impact the lives of
countless others.
Now go out there and have
yourself a very happy New Year. And as you navigate through the perils and
opportunities of 2018, try to always accentuate the positive. Be kind and
generous to others—especially the less privileged. And endeavor to resist the
urge to yield to the base impulses of your nature. One again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Authored by E. Stanley Ukeni, ©
2018. All Rights Reserved. This material and other articles or stories posted
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author, E. Stanley Ukeni.
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