New Year, New Start. That’s been the motto of my group as of late. It’s a new year! We’re starting with a clean slate (kind of). Don’t be boggled down by all the emotional / financial / relationship turmoil of last year! Start anew…. In short – get your act together!
Really, if you haven’t set your new year’s resolutions yet, or have claimed that you don’t believe in this sort of thing, perhaps now would be the time to stop living in denial and recognize that we can ALL improve ourselves in one way or another… yes, I do believe in self esteem and having a positive self image (and I think it’s something all Fab & Financially Sav readers should strive for), but really – who couldn’t do a little more for their community? Or gossip a little less? Or perhaps be a listener to a friend in need? … There are tons of things we can do to better ourselves (inside and out).
So… where to start? I guess from personal experience (and my personal goals) – this year has been tagged the year of “Making it Happen.” My good friend and I have a tendency to label our years. We predict how the year will go ahead of time… okay really, my friend predicts and I encourage / promote said labeling. Last year was a year of change… 2008 was a year of growth…and this year, like I just said is the year of ‘making it happen’. “Making what happen??” you might ask… and really, it’s anything. Anything that I want to do for me. (Or of course, anything you want to do for you). If I want to flake on a night out to stay in and read a book – done. No guilt. Also, I know I’ve been slacking on my budget and setting specific financial goals for myself over the past few (err… six) months. So I spent a night last week sorting through what I’ve been spending and setting reasonable amounts to save, contribute to my Roth IRA and 401(k) and of course, allocating shopping and going out funds as well. It really only took an hour or two and I felt totally accomplished once I realized I’d actually set myself up with a solid plan. (Side note: It’s super easy to work out your own budget too. If this happens to be a goal of yours, check out a past post here for some tips on getting started.)
Also on my list of personal to-do’s for the new year are: The GMAT, traveling (as much as possible), learning to be (gasp!) alone, reading one personal and one professional(ish) book a month, learning to cook (being a full blooded Italian, you’d think I’d be born with these skills.. but sadly, no such luck ), becoming a better friend and so on…
Really, the new year is all about new beginnings. If there’s something you’ve been feeling bad / guilty / kind of sluggish / insecure about, then why not take the steps to effect change in your own life? Ate too many holiday cookies? Go to the gym! Feel a bit woozy whenever you have to speak in public? Check out your local chapter of Toastmasters. I am a firm believer that one can succeed at anything they put their minds to. I’m not going to sugar coat things… if you’re in a financial mess of sorts or have other personal matters that have gone awry – the chances of you getting a personal government bailout or your situation suddenly going from gloomy to sunny skies without your putting in any effort are slim… It takes work, dedication and time to get things done and to feel confident about where you’re at. After all, how great would “success” feel if it was just handed to you on a silver platter? The whole idea behind having that confident, sexy, power woman vibe is recognizing what you want, going after it and succeeding (or knowing that you put forth a damn good effort trying)!
Happy New Year to all of my fabulous readers! I’m excited for things to come in 2010 and can’t wait to start posting again!
