Can you believe it’s almost 2023? Time is such a funny thing. The older I get the faster time seems to go. It seems like yesterday we were ringing in 2022, and now the year is almost over. So as I prepare for the year ahead I am making a concentrated effort to start the new year strong. So grab a pen and paper and let’s discuss 5 ways to prepare for the new year ahead.
1. Reflect and Evaluate
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“You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” Maya Angelou.
Reflection is always key to moving forward. So reflect on this last year and ask yourself the following questions:
- What did I accomplish this year that I’m proud of
- What did I fail to accomplish that I wanted to
- What important lessons did I learn this year about myself, about life, about faith, etc.
- What are my most cherished moments from this past year
Write down the answers to these questions on paper so that you can use them to help create your plan for this coming year.
2. Create a Plan
Now that you have reflected on the past let’s create a plan for the future. Rather than having a long list of random things (or resolutions) to accomplish let’s narrow the focus down to the top 5 or 10 things that are really important to you.
Having a shorter list makes it seem less intimidating to accomplish the things on the list. It creates focus on the things that are most important to you so that you are not distracted by the things that are not as important.
Consider making one goal, or resolution, for each of the following categories:
- Mental/Spiritual Health
- Physical Health
- Relationship Health
- Finances
- Work/job
Write these goals/resolutions down in a place that is regularly visible to you. Its important that you be able to see them often so that they reinforce your direction throughout your year. If you are anything like me you’ve had the experience of writing out a list of new years resolutions on a piece of paper and then putting it somewhere never to be seen again. Months go by before you remember you had a goal to accomplish.
You can write them out on poster board and hang them somewhere, create a vision board, use a white board and put it in a corner of your room, etc. You get the idea. Just make sure that it’s visible to you on a daily basis.
3. Create a Personal Mission Statement
Now that steps one and two are done, you are going to use them to create your own personal mission statement for the year. This should be a short, concise statement of who you are and what you intend for your life to be this year.
Start by using the above to answer the following questions:
- Who am I, as a person at my core?
- Who do I want to be? Picture the very best version of yourself.
- What are my intentions for this year
Write this out clearly so that you can refer to it often. This mission statement should serve as a sort of guide for you throughout the coming year. Like a compass, it should point you in the right direction when you feel lost or are lacking direction.
4. Create a Personal Wellness Plan
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There will be some overlap between your goals in step 2 and your wellness plan, but that’s okay. The important thing at the end of this is that you have clearly defined the path your life is taking this year. Don’t let life just happen to you. Too many people do this. Instead, be the master of your own life choices. So many things are beyond our control, but how we choose to live each day defines who we are.
In your wellness plan, like in your life plan, you need to have some clearly established objectives and goals. For example, if your goal is to lower your cholesterol what are the exact steps that you need to take to achieve this? It is helpful to answer the following before you begin:
- What is it you are trying to achieve on your wellness journey
- Which type of wellness will you be focusing on (spiritual, mental, physical) or will you be working on all of them?
- What steps are the most important for you to achieve these goals
Now create a plan and post it in the same place you have posted your goals and mission statement.
5. Create a Financial Wellness Plan
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The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to re-evaluate where you are at financially. In addition to our minds seeing it as a fresh start, this is usually when most benefit plans (health insurance, 401ks), etc have open enrollment.
I personally find that this step takes the most time and effort. You need to set aside a few hours, sit down with your laptop and all of your financial records, and go through and review all of the following categories:
- Household bills–These are the bills that have to be paid for your home to continue to function: electricity, heat, water, sewer, association fees, etc
- Credit Card Statements
- Checking and Savings account statements
- Retirement accounts
- Health, life, and accident insurance–make sure the limits on these policies still make sense for your family
- Health Savings Accounts
- Miscellaneous–entertainment, travel, hair and beauty appointments, etc
After you have a very clear idea of where you stand financially, it’s time to determine what your exact strategies will be this year to reach whatever goals you deem most important. If it’s to focus on savings, then how much will you need to set aside every pay check to reach your goal? If it’s to strengthen your retirement portfolio, do you need to increase your 401k or IRA contributions?
I use a simple spreadsheet to track all of this, but investing in Quickbooks or similar software is another great option.
In Conclusion
I hope that you find these 5 ways to prepare for the New Year helpful. Organizing our lives ahead of time makes the prospect of a new year exciting and hopeful rather than intimidating.
A few other things that I personally find helpful when going into the new year:
Buying a good planner-There is a huge variety of planners on Amazon, one for every taste preference.
Buying a good habit tracker– I find having a habit tracker extremely valuable in building good habits in my own life.
Conquering clutter in my house prior to the new year. Clean out anything in your house (and life) that is not moving you forward in a healthy way.
Best of luck to you as you prepare for the new year my friends. Remember that preparation brings peace.
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
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