Could This Year Be The Best Year Yet? Let’s Discuss
It is that time of year again. A time of reflection, a time for change, and a time to be setting yourself some impressive goals and resolutions for the year ahead. Many people have grand plans for the year ahead and they want to do all that they can to make it the best year yet, but often we can fail at the first hurdle. New Year's Eve can go one of two ways for people. It can either be a fabulous, maybe expensive, night out on the town getting dressed up, putting on your favourite heels and lipstick and painting the town red. Or it might be that you curl up in your Christmas pyjamas, watch a lot of rubbish tv, enjoy a few glasses of prosecco and eat all of the chocolate. Both ways to celebrate are fun, but one thing many of us have in common is the fact that we use this time of year to make ourselves some resolutions and this tends to be the night that you do it. This can be a big mistake.
Resolutions tend to be along the lines of things you want to do and want to change in your life. Losing weight and giving up drinking are often two very common ones. Along with joining a gym, making home improvements, improving finances and traveling more. The mistake people make is expecting change to happen instantly, and this is why so many resolutions get broken or forgotten about. You need to have goals to run alongside them, things that you can work towards and achieve. However, what all of those things have in common collectively, is that they have the power to change your life as a whole and literally make 2020 your best year yet. With that in mind, here is a closer look at some of the ways those resolutions can transform your life.
Focus on your finances
Your finances could have taken a hit during christmas with all of the extravagance and temptation, so getting out of debt or getting better at savings could be high on your resolution list. This is when you may want to start looking at what you have coming in versus what is leaving your account and make some changes. It might mean changing providers for some of your bills and getting better deals and giving you more disposable income to put towards paying off debt or saving. It might even mean budgeting better, planning meals, reducing your overall spend, or checking in on your home warranty. Home warranty plans are a great way to safeguard the appliances and systems in your home in case of any costly repairs but it is important to compare different plans to ensure that you are getting the coverage that you need at the best possible price. For example, if you live in Indiana, you can find a few different types of home warranty plans on the First American website here: https://homewarranty.firstam.com/homeowner/home-warranty/indiana. However you do it, getting to grips with your finances creates more opportunities for you in your life such as being able to experience more or do more things. Not to mention the peace of mind it can give you once your debts are paid.
Consider a lifestyle change
Changing your life sounds like a huge thing to do, but often small changes add up to collectively help you to change your lifestyle. Being more active and exercising or walking more is one thing you can easily implement into your life. Many people have every intention of getting foot and healthy in the new year and even join a gym. But to go from no exercise to trying to do too much can often mean that you are left demotivated with results and how you feel or could even lead to injury. Instead take things slow and just focus on being more active, such as hitting 10k steps per day or using an app to help you start running.
Other factors to consider would be your diet. You could give up the takeout food and choose healthier options instead. This can not only save you in the pocket but also mean that you are being more healthy with your food choices. Maybe giving up meat and having a vegetarian diet. A healthy balanced diet is a far better approach than trying something more extreme that cannot be sustainable in the long term.
Travel more
Maybe travel is topping your list for the year ahead. So get your own bucket list together and plan the year out in style. Choose where you want to go and when, and of course, budget to ensure that you can afford to do what you want to do. Travel can help you to gain perspective and can really change you as a person. Many people love the idea of travel but often don’t take any action to make it happen. This could be the year where you jet off for weekends away, or enjoy holidays with the special people in your life.
Change your career
Another factor to think about to help improve your life would be to focus on your career. It may sound obvious, but a huge chunk of your time is spent doing a job, and if you are unhappy with it, don’t earn enough from it, or have passions that are elsewhere this could be the year that you decide to make some changes and improve your career prospects. Maybe it means heading back to university such as Bradley University where you could learn new skills or gain different qualifications to help you go for a different career. Or you may want to look at career progression in the current industry that you work for. Therefore working on your resume, showing initiative in the workplace and even taking on added responsibility could help.
Get on the property ladder or improve your home
Maybe this year is the year you step on to the property ladder, or perhaps make home improvements so that you can move on somewhere new. Property can be one of the biggest purchases you make in your lifetime, and it can be quite stressful to buy and move home. But it is worth it in the long term to have a place to call your own.
Making home improvements to your current home are also great solutions for updating your space. You can add porches, build a fence, or research a pool builder in Thousand Oaks, for example, to help elevate your space and make it feel more like home. Whatever you do to improve your home, make sure you look at a lot of vendors or contractors to find the best fit for you.
Focus on positivity
Finally, take the time to focus on positivity more and be more active with your thought process. Try out yoga and meditation regularly, get rid of negative people in your life, and just actively look for the good. Showing gratitude each day is a great habit to help with positive thinking.
Let’s hope that some of these ideas help you to have your best year yet next year.