10 Things You Owe Yourself This New Year

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At the beginning of every new year, we all have this list of things we want to do, or things we feel we should accomplish. We create resolutions and plan to lose weight, or be financially stable. All these are great, but there is a reason why when another new year comes around, they find their way to our list.

This year, why don’t you put away that list of resolutions and do something different. This is a list of 10 things you owe yourself this new year. If you really want positive change in your life, then you need to do things differently.

Too often, we are busy taking care of others that we forget to look out for ourselves. This will help you do just that. You can choose to implement all 10 things, or just a few. The choice is yours.

 

 

10 Things You Owe Yourself This New Year

Find the list below:

Accept Yourself

Self-acceptance is one of the hardest things to do, particularly when you have been judged by others and found wanting. This year, tell yourself that you are enough. You are good enough. You will grow as a person, make mistakes and learn new things. But this does not diminish who you are. You might not have a curvacious body or a skinny one, but you are you and who you are is just lovely.

 

 

Care for Yourself

This is something that is really hard for mothers. When you have to put the needs of others before yours, it rarely ocurrs to you that you need to care for yourself. But think about it…if you are unable to function, it affects the lives of all those around you. So this year, be deliberate about self care. Take a few minutes each day just to be by yourself. Listen to music that makes you feel good. When you can, go to the salon and get a manicure and pedicure.

 

Dig Deep for Rescources

You have so much inside you, why do you believe that you need to look outside to be your best self? Dig deep inside and be resourceful. Find ways to achieve your goals. You have patience, integrity, the ability to find solutions to any problems…don’t wait for someone else to offer you a helping hand. If it is there, all well and good. Even then, learn not to lean too much on others, they also have their own burdens. This year, you owe it to yourself to discover and utilize the helping hands you already have at the end of your arms.

 

 

Journal Your Thoughts

There is power in journaling, and it is very much underutilized. If you can do one thing this year, do this. Get a notebook and put down your daily thoughts. At the end of the year, you will be surprised at how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what you have learnt about yourself. Keeping a journal can change your life.

 

Start a Savings Account

If you don’t have one, start saving. It’s easy to think that you need to have a lot of money, all your needs met, before you can think of saving. But that’s not true. You can save, even if it’s just a little every week. Put something small aside faithfully. That way, you will never be in a position where you need to run helter skelter when there is an emergency.

 

Start a Business

If you already havesome savings, find a side hustle. Seriouly, don’t depend 100 percent on your job; what will you do if there is a sudden downsizing and you are affected? Look for something you can do that will not clash with your nine to five. If you have a good friend who runs a farm, think of investing in it; but do it in a way that everything is clear and written down. Agriculture is always a good way to go.

Don’t ever think that there’s nothing you can do. You have been a lawyer for more than 10 years. You know the inner workings of corporate law. Is there a way you can offer consultaion…maybe online? Think outside the box and remember to be resourceful.

 

 

Travel

Travel often. You don’t need to go to another continent if you can’t afford it. Simply crossing the border to another country is in itself an education. Mix with other cultures, try their food and make an effort to understand them. It broadens your mind and helps you better understand yourself.

Related: 5 African Countries to Visit Just Because…

 

Get in Touch with Your Spirituality

You can’t go through life ignoring your spirituality. Man is spirit and when you are not in touch with that part of you, there is an emptiness; a void that never seems to get filled. This is not mindless religion or the worship of a religious leader. This is acknoweldging that there is indeed a Higher Power and cultivating a personal, intimate relationship. It will make your life deeper and richer.

 

 

Make a Friend

It could be at your workplace or your child’s school. Go out of your way to say ‘hello’ so someone. Find out a little more about them and share something of yourself. You never know how that one person will enrich your life. Also, keep in mind the six degrees of separation; that person might be the link to a connection you’ve sought for a long time.

 

Build on that Soul Bond

There are people that we’ve felt that soul kinship with, then we let it go and didn’t pursue it; mostly due to laziness. This year, reach out to one and cultivate that relationship. You can go through life without having a soul bond with anyone. If you are lucky enough to have experienced a friendship that reached deeper than most (no matter how brief it was), see how you can reconnect.

 

 

Bonus: Get active

If you are sedentary, you definitely owe it to yourself to get active. Go for a walk. Run around your neighbourhood. Join a gym and this time, actually go to the gym. Your health is your wealth. Once that is taken away from you, you are a very poor person indeed.

 

Don’t let this year go by without implementing this 10 things (well, eleven really). You owe it to yourself to live life fully, without compromising on the quality of your life.

 

Thank you for reading to the end. We would like to know which of these you would definitely be doing?