How to Prepare Yourself for a Fantastic 2024

It is hard to believe that yet another year has gone into the history books! For some, 2023 may have been a great year (I hope this was the case for all of you) but for some it might not have been the best. However, 2024 brings a fresh perspective and a new road to traverse. For that reason, we are going to explore how to prepare for a fabulous upcoming year!

Establish Goals for the Year

As the biggest procrastinator in the world, I know how important setting goals for myself can be. Not only does it keep me focused, but it helps me to reflect. Despite this, tweaking, changing or scrapping a goal is completely okay. Setting goals in stone is not a good idea as life can throw us curve balls. Follow this guideline for setting goals at the beginning of the year, and look at them often.

• Write down 4 things you would like to accomplish in the coming year. Don’t get too specific at this point in the process. Here is a simple example:
  • Read 25 books this year
• Next, to start working toward this goal, establish what is needed
  • Find 25 books that you would be interested in reading
  • Find where books can be purchased and for how much or see if your local library has them available
• After laying the ground work, now begin making your goals a reality
  • To finish reading 25 books, you will need to read 2 books per month and start on a third
  • Have the books for the next month ready to start on before the next month starts

Don’t feel like you are a failure if you get off track. Conversely, goals are there to help you have something to work toward. Like the flag on a golf course for a specific hole. You might not get to it on the first swing, but you know where you want to go, and it keeps you focused. For some, like me, making it to the hole takes a little longer but I get there eventually because I don’t take my eyes off that flag!

Focus on You

Certainly, this may be the most redundant pledge that is made year after year by people, and the easiest one to throw by the wayside. Focusing on yourself doesn’t mean being selfish, all about you, etc. It means taking care of yourself so you will still be around and be capable to be there for others. Here are some areas to take seriously as you focus on you:

Health

I know it’s the oldest cliche resolution out there, but focusing on your health doesn’t have to be about losing weight or being on a diet. “What?!” you say. For one thing, trying fad diets to lose weight can actually cause more harm than good. Here are some better ways to focus on your health.

• Look at your diet. Do you drink a lot of sodas? Do you eat fried foods? By making small simple changes, such as cutting out soda and replacing it with water, or adding a green vegetable to your nightly meal, can make a big impact that you are more likely to stick with.
• Move. Not move as in pack up things and leave but move as in get out of your chair and move your body. For some of us, that’s not as easy as it sounds. Health issues may already be hindering your movement, but not moving makes it worse. Walk to your mailbox, get up and dance to your favorite song, do chair yoga, or stretching. In addition, there are some great walking apps or games that you can download for motivation.
• Mental Health is key. Unfortunately, overlooking mental health needs is common. However, stress can increase the likeliness of not being able to lose weight due to high levels of cortisol. Depression will make it impossible to focus, concentrate or move forward with goals. On the other hand, meditation, therapy, exercise can all be factors in keeping you mentally healthy.

Enjoyment

Equally important is finding things in your life that bring you happiness and enjoyment. Most of us work full time jobs with little time for ourselves. It’s the little things in life that bring enjoyment. When my boys were young, it was exploring with them whether it was watching a preying mantis, or collecting rocks or digging in the dirt. Their wonder, curiosity and pure exhilaration brought me happiness. Now, I focus more on things that I enjoy when I can’t be with my grown children or grandchildren.

• Reading books. Of course my number one all time favorite thing to do. I can disappear into the pages and leave the world behind. Romance, adventure, scares and mysteries. It’s all right there for me to be a part of.
• Pampering sessions. I have a pedicure and manicure scheduled every couple of weeks. This is my time to visit with friends, and relax. The beautiful painted toes and nails are an added bonus!
• Music. Sitting in a quiet space, watching nature outside, with soft calming music playing while sipping on a hot cup of coffee is a simple pleasure for me. I am a fan of almost all genres of music, however, when I want to decompress, jazz or piano music playing softly is my go to. Because of this, I have a playlist of “coffee shop” ambiance music especially for me to relax to. In order to help me slough off the days stressful events, I also have a sleep playlist of calming zen music.

Stress List

Okay, I admit that this may seem like a very strange thing to focus on. However, stress in our lives lead to unhappiness, mental health issues, among a mountain of other things. Focusing on you will help manage the stress, and goals will help you have something to look forward to in your life, but finding stress points and eliminating them if possible, is key.

Finances

• Finances are very large stressors for many of us. Bills, especially unexpected ones, can turn our worlds upside down. Make a list of known utility bills, known debt (like car payments, mortgage or rent payments, credit card payments), and then extras. Extras would be things like eating out, entertainment such as movies or online games, and so on.
  • A simple budget can help you get a handle on your spending, saving and bills. Making simple adjustments can make a world of difference. Try saving 20% of your paycheck if possible. Then you will have money for those times that the unexpected expenses hit. If you can’t save 20%, try 10% or even 5%. Anything is better than nothing.
  • Cut some things out or down. For example, limit your extras to one or two times a week. Or meal prep for the week to cut down on cooking time for days that you are tired so it doesn’t temp you to grab fast food.
  • Make a debt payoff plan. This will help you know what debt to target first and how to get things paid off quicker! Read this article by Ramsey on How to Pay off Debt as a start to researching your best payoff plan.

World on your Shoulders

• Can’t say no. Boy howdy this is my downfall. Even if my little voice inside is screaming NO NO NO, I somehow ignore it and say the dreaded word…YES. My plate is overflowing and I’m being buried. Not a good place to be, especially when your kindness seems unappreciated, but always expected.
  • Tackle the low hanging fruit. What things could be easily eliminated during the next year? Do you volunteer for everything that comes your way? Scale it down to 1 or 2 things a month or even a quarter.
  • Start practicing on saying no when it will affect you, such as babysitting grand kids last minute if you are feeling extremely tired or had a rough day.
  • Establish boundaries for yourself.

Toxic Relationships, People, Jobs

• Concluding this topic is the hardest of all, saying goodbye to anything toxic in your life that is bringing you down. This includes jobs, people and even family or friends. Of course, this is easier said than done. Toxic people tend to worm their way deep inside our psyche and use guilt, shaming or fear to keep us in our place.
  • Talk to someone like a therapist who can help you work your way through getting out of a toxic relationship, especially if it’s abusive.
  • Write down what you want to say to a toxic friend or family member. How do they make you feel? What have they contributed to your life? Have they taken advantage of you and how? What would life be like without them, both positive and negative? Lastly, how would you say goodbye, and mean it. Work toward accomplishing this with that person.
• Finding a new job is scary, predominately if you have been there a while and are comfortable. Start updating your resume and get on a site like Indeed or searching within your current company for a better opportunity. You could even begin a journey to earn a degree or a certification that would help launch a new career. Life is short. Live it!

Smile and Have a Prosperous 2024

Thank you for all who have read and subscribed to this blog! Have a very Happy New Year! May it be phenomenal!