It’s a new year and that means it’s time to decide what we’d like to do with our lives this year. This post will help give you ideas. Often, people only create one or two New Year’s resolutions. But I’ve found it’s best to have more like ten. This way, you never get tired and resentful of working towards one goal. Plus, a year is a long time. You’ll have time to focus your energy on more than one goal. The following list will give you some ideas for how to improve your life and your finances:
- Set a weight loss goal
- Set an exercise goal
- Create an income goal
- Vow to stop eating a certain kind of food
- Vow to contribute the max of $5,500 into your Roth IRA
- Vow to put a certain percentage of your paycheck into a 401(k)
- Stick to a budget
- Donate a certain amount to church or charity
- Drink ‘x’ ounces of water each day
- Avoid saying negative things
- Only watch ‘x’ amount of hours of television each day
- Start a side hustle
- Minimize the fees on your investments
- Move to a different city
- Find your dream job
- Quit your job and become self-employed
- Help a friend out financially
- Sell everything you own that you don’t love and/or don’t use
- Meditate each day
- Pay off your credit card(s) in full each month
- Reconnect with ‘x’ amount of old friends
- Invest in a friends company
- Buy your first home
- Complete a DIY home renovation
- Start a blog
- Volunteer your time ‘x’ amount of hours per week
- Offer to babysit ‘x’ amount of times per week
- Avoid going shopping ‘just for fun’
- Go a year without upgrading electronic devices
- Negotiate your bills
New Year’s resolutions are about making improvements to change your life. The end of a year is a great time to reflect on how your life has been the past year. Then, if you’re not completely satisfied (who is?) then vow to make the appropriate changes for next year.
One neat things about improving your finances is that it can be done in many ways. If you drink more water each day, that may have a positive result in your finances. If you move to a different city, you may be able to find either a lower cost of living or more opportunities.
If none of the above goals appeal to you, think of a new one using these areas of life: health, wealth, love and happiness. If you want a good life in 2016, you need to optimize these areas of your life. They are all interconnected. Get healthy, get wealthy, embrace love and find happiness in 2016.
Furthermore, you can look at other people’s lives for inspiration. Sometimes comparing yourself with others can be a good thing. To get more ideas, look to bloggers, vloggers or experts in your industry. See what they are doing in their lives. How is it they are so wealthy/healthy etc.? What things are they doing which you can include in your own life? If you want to be success, you need to do the things successful people are doing.
Good luck and have a great 2016!
I’m a personal finance freelance writer and webmaster. I welcome you to visit me at www.thefrugalpreneur.com