2019 Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

To Do List For The Year

• Set yourself goals

First and foremost, do not just dive into a year in the hoping for a good year when you have not set any targets under which you will be able to determine how good the year was to you.
Write down your goals within your diary, or type them into your laptop or cell phone.

NEVER keep them within your head. There is always a tendency of paraphrase the goals using definitions that suit whatever position you find yourself in a few months down the line.

Take some time to reflect and be honest with yourself but at the same time challenge your ability and potential. It is pointless setting absurd targets you can never achieve and at the same time you can’t just challenge yourself to a stroll in the park.

Goals should stretch your potential, ability and thinking capacity. It should be something that will not leave you at the same level you were once you achieve it. Some aspect of you has to evolve whilst chasing after the goal. It could be your physical, psychological, financial or emotional aspect….something has to give in to change.

At the same time goals should be reasonable targets you know that when you invest your time and effort into them they can be achieved.   

• Act more, procrastinate less

This should be the year to act, taking reasonable strides towards your goals and ambitions.

Many times we are guilty of not achieving our goals not because we fail but because we do not put any of action to our plans.
One of the worst enemies of progress is procrastination. This year, never let the thought that you have a lot of time in your hands lure you into its trap.

“it’s still January, I still have the whole year,” is how procrastination seeps into your path.

The same will be said for February, March and April. Come December, you would have barely achieved your goals and carrying the load unfinished targets of the previous year into another year.

In this year, your ambitions should weigh heavily upon your heart such that you will be troubled by the mere thought of postponing them.

One effective way of making sure you do not postpone your goals is to make them an utmost priority. Do not approach your goals lackadaisically, as something you will do whenever you find time during the year. Never entertain the thought that no one will punish you if you fail the complete your goals within the coming year.

View each and every goal as a must do. Do not take them lightly, every goal should feel like the whole world is depending and waiting on you. Take it as a job under which you are employed, to fulfill each and every one of those goals.

No matter how tired you may be from your other endeavors, make your goals a bigger priority such that you always have the strength to tackle them so as to meet your own deadlines.

It’s high time you make maximum impact on your goals. And 2019 is the year.

• Raise the bar, challenge yourself to be better than you were yesterday...everyday

Challenge yourself to be a better being. Become the best version of yourself in every regard of your life. 

Socially,  fitness-wise, psychologically, emotionally or financially; Always try your hardest to be at a better position than you were a day, week or a year ago. Never allow any aspect of your life become stagnant. Remember that your success is not dependent only on your business. Your mindset, interactions and well being also contribute a major part to your achievements. 

Therefore, never take any of your attributes for granted. Rather, strive to grow as a whole individual not just as a business person.

Many times, the sole focus on only one aspect of a person's life may do more damage than good. You may end up over exerting yourself which may lead to chronic health problems and the failure to balance between duty and responsibility. 

For example, you might be so focused on your business duties that you forget about your responsibility as a father, mother or guardian. In the end, your goals end up stretching your relationships and creating canyons between you and your loved ones. Down the line, this may lead to stress related ailments.

• Set deadlines

From my experience, the major cause of a lackadaisical approach towards goals is a lack of set deadlines. Almost every individual on the planet has written their goals and targets down. However, the majority of people have not set any deadlines for any of their goals because they feel,

“it’s a personal thing so I will do it in my spare time.”

But as you will notice, there is no such thing as ‘spare time.’ Every moment always seems to be occupied, more-so the present moment as compared to the past. It is the reason everyone always says “I’ll do it in the future.”

Above all, once you label anything as something you do in your ‘spare time’ you would have subconsciously watered down its value. And your goals should never fall under such a bracket. Your goals are as important as your day to day job.

Don’t treat your goals like a hobby sport, treat them like a sporting career under which you expect to make a living out of.

One way to start making shape of targets is to set deadlines. DON’T YOU DARE TAKE THAT DEADLINE CASUALLY!

Set a realistic deadline and write it in your journal, LITERALLY write it down in your calendar.

Even better, purchase a plaque and have your goals for the year engraved into it. Put that plaque on your wall, opposite your bed such that every morning you wake up it is the first thing you read and the last thing you see before you go to sleep.

After drafting deadlines, make sure those deadlines are met, Do not even dare think that no one is watching. Feel driven towards your goals and deadlines, this will help you during the days when you are feeling down or tired.

• Finish off pending matters

As the year begins, there is always a sense of starting a new chapter. A feeling of new beginnings, new found hope and anticipation.

In as much as it is positive to anticipate a new slate and have hope for a brighter future, let it not be reason to bury unresolved issues of the previous year. Make it an objective to complete the previous year’s goals which could not be completed within the space of the past year.

Do not hide dirt under a rug. Because in as much as it may no longer be visible, it is still resident within your living space. The same can be said about unfulfilled promises, unfinished goals and hanging plans. Finish off whatever you had pending from the previous year. The sooner the better.

•  Give yourself time to do something that gives you joy

Pursuit of your targets and goals should never make you miserable. Always find time to do something that will make you laugh, smile or light your heart up.

It is no secret that anyone can perform to the best of their abilities when they are free of depression, pressure, weariness or boredom. So doing something that gives you joy is not only meant to add happiness, enthusiasm and positivity to your life, it is also a way of helping yourself perform to the best of your abilities.

It could be going on holiday out of state once in a while, playing your favourite sport, attending your favourite team’s game, visiting some of the world’s most famous monuments, getting together with a very good friend, going hiking, bunjee jumping, touring…etc. The list is endless. 

The whole point is to do something that helps you relax and press the refresh button after a period of hard work and effort. You are guaranteed to come back more focused and fresh to tackle life’s vicissitudes.

• Do a good deed for someone who came to your aid during your most trying moments

Take some time to remember, celebrate and appreciate those people in your life to whom you are deeply indebted.

Never assume that someone already knows how grateful you are for their kindness to forego their own plans just so that they could fish you out of a pit you had found yourself in.

From my experience, I have come to realize that the true depth of the pit is subjective. To the person in the pit it always seems deeper that what those outside the trouble perceive. 

I once went through a very rough patch of my own back in college. I had a friend who stood by me through the trying times. I felt so helpless and vulnerable; She was there to support me all the way and deep inside I could feel it that she was about the only object onto which I held on to get myself back up.

I thought she knew she true depth of the trouble I was in, but when I took it upon myself to express my gratitude I realized she had no idea how deeply indebted I was to her. Of course she knew she did me a big favour back then, but she didn’t how big a favour it truly was to me.

The same can be said for everyone else. Those who help you during your trying times never really know the true depth of your troubles because they don’t feel the pressure, heat and stress of the moment. They just view it from a distance so can never understand it.

It is therefore your task to take it upon yourself to truly express your deepest and sincere gratitude to such people who helped you through that pickle. It could be through a gift, an ornament, a letter, a dedication or a deeply and explicitly detailed gratitude speech. Either way, it should feel as priceless and pure as was their help during the time you needed it the most.