by: Cathy Holloway Hill
It’s that time of year when everyone is fired up about enhancing their lives in one way or another. Have you assessed your life and determined which areas need to be improved? Following are the top EIGHT new year resolutions. If you have no idea where to start, these areas will help get your creative juices flowing:
1- CLEANSE THE TOXIC EMOTIONS
It’s time to release those negative emotions that anchor you to the past. Letting go of resentment, anger, bitterness, and pain opens up many opportunities for a new life in our latter years. You can’t change the past, but you can change your reactions and release the hold it has on your life. Now is the time to enhance your spirituality. If you don’t have divine guidance in your life, then invite the Holy Spirit in so that you can find the peace-of-mind we all desire.
2- LOSE WEIGHT
It’s now or never! As baby boomers age, it becomes more critical to focus on health and wellness. Weight control is an absolute must if we expect to continue to age gracefully and maintain our health and well being. There are many methods for sustaining a weight loss program. Setting realistic weight loss goals are fun and attainable.
3- QUIT SMOKING AND/OR DRINKING
This goal is on the minds of many people. It will be easier for some moreso than others. If it is necessary to get help, don’t be ashamed to find an AA or support group to help accomplish this goal. After all, the most important step is realization. Once you’ve taken that first critical step, reach out and ask for help – it’s there!
4- REDUCE THE DEBT
As baby boomers age and retirement is within view, it is critical to start eliminating some of the accumulated debt. The best place to begin is with the credit cards. Start paying more than the minimum payment. Contact your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate. Create a new budget and try to pay cash for as much as you possibly can and eliminate using the cards. As the credit card debt starts to diminish, you can focus on other larger forms of debt.
5- GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED
The house, your car, your office, your desk at work – if you’re tired of always losing things, then you fall in this popular category for resolutions. Start keeping an inventory log of your stuff. Begin with one room at a time (if you’re trying to organize at home), or begin with one stack at a time (if you’re trying to organize at work). It took quite awhile to get out of control, so it will, therefore, take time to re-gain control. Be diligent and stick with it.
6-IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP (MARRIAGE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER)
Work is great, but as we age, it’s imperative that we begin taking time to smell the flowers. Whether you set aside time for that much needed vacation or just go out for a night on the town, tell your significant other “you love him/her” more and invest the time required to have the relationship you deserve.
7-FIND A HOBBY
Whether it’s learning to play golf or joining a networking organization, we want the New Year to bring more fun and excitement into our lives. Finding a hobby is also a fantastic way to set yourself up to add an additional stream of income to your life further down the road. Hobbies are great starting points for turning fun activities into income-generating streams.
8-PLAN FOR RETIREMENT
Regardless of the state of our economy, it’s never too late to focus on 401K and retirement planning. Take time and find the necessary resources to learn and understand retirement planning. If you need to incorporate the assistance of a financial planner to help with this task, then do so. There are also tons of free resources on the internet to help with this task.
Visit www.emotionalbailout.com for tips and methods to assist with your resolutions.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
