The new year symbolizes a new start and a new beginning. It’s like a chance to fix all the mistakes we made in the past year.
Beyond our new year resolutions, there are some small changes we can make that will change our lives in the new year. Making these changes will make us happier, more fulfilled and even more productive.
1. Get your money together
Before now, you’ve been pretty lax with your money. You’ve been spending randomly and at the same time wondering where all the money you earn goes. News Flash: you spent it! Mistakes are okay, but learn from them and move into 2019 with the intention to fix your relationship with money.
2. Remove toxic people from your life
Literally, because no time. Take an evaluation of your relationships. You know those friends who drain all your energy whenever you’re around them and always try to manipulate you so they have their way in nearly everything? They need to leave your life in 2019. If you work in a toxic environment, you should make a quick exit plan.
3. Stop lending money to people
One of the changes you should make in the new year is to stop feeling pressured to lend money to people. After all, it’s not like you’re Mother Christmas or something. If you’ve ever faced any hassle in getting your money back after loaning a friend, you’ll agree that it’s not worth it. You loan money to someone and then they act like you’re trying to take their constitutional rights from them when you want money back.
4. Don’t do business on credit anymore
Let this be your new policy in the new year. As if being a female entrepreneur in Nigeria isn’t tough enough. Somehow, certain kinds of people like to make purchases credit, and then proceed to owe the business for months on end. This is not just annoying, it also messes with the finances of the business, and makes it harder for the entrepreneur to scale up her business. No credit today. Not now, or ever.
5. Give more
Adulting is tough. We know you’ve got bills to pay, and so many responsibilities, but really, just give. Giving to the less privileged is very fulfilling, and it does come back to you. Give your time to help someone, your money to the poor, and old belongings to those who need it more than you.
6. Be intentional about your health
Enough of feeding your body with junk and sitting all hunched up over your computer. Be more aware about your body. Eat the right foods, find an exercise routine that works for you, improve your sitting posture, drink more water, and do a health check every once in a while. Health is wealth, people.
7. You need to stop procrastinating
One of the important changes to make in the new year is to stop procrastinating. Procrastination will slowly kill your dreams and will eventually leave you tangled up in frustration and bitterness at all the things you could have achieved but didn’t.
8. Say yes to self care
As women, we’re so attuned to the needs of loved ones and people around us, so we find that even to ourselves, our needs sometimes take the back burner. No more. You are important, and your needs matter. Be good to yourself this year.
9. Say no. Often
One of the changes to make this year is learning to say no. Go on, say it. No. Nope. Nah. See? The sky didn’t fall down. This is an act of self-care, but it’s worthy of a stand-alone mention because of how we often take on more than we can handle so people won’t think less of us. Who cares what they think, really? You can only help others when you’re okay, so say no, and say no again.
10. Be a better friend
Sometimes, we’re nicer to other people than to our friends, which is not fair. So in this new year, resolve to be a be the friend you wished you had. Send them gifts, surprise them for lunch, randomly put up a post that tells the world how awesome they are.
