Monday, January 11, 2010

2010 New Year Resolutions

How hard is it to compile a list of 100 goals??

A few years ago, if I asked any friends whether they had resolutions for the new year or not, they had plenty. Lately, I've noticed that we don't seem to form that many resolutions as previously. Now if we have any resolutions, they are harder and more complex to achieve, and they even stretch over the years rather than being achievable in one year alone.

Perhaps we are consolidating. Paying off mortgages. Building relationships. Maintaining friendships. Working and paying off bills. Some are planning to have kids while others have the panicky look in their eyes whenever the thought of having babies arises. Some are still hunting for their first property or home.

Some have realised that their financial mistakes in their early 20s have led to no savings and a tedious day to day existence of working to pay bills and get by.

It really feels like I've just left school yesterday. As if the decade had not happened. But looking back, a lot has happened and I'm anticipating a lot more. I hope that's the story with everybody.

What are your resolutions? I realised how anal I was when 2010 arrived and I was itching to find a quiet moment alone to form my 2010 resolutions...flipped my notebook open and realised that I had already compiled my 2010 resolutions back in early December 2009! New Years Eve & New Years Day is really one of the best times to form memorable resolutions so if you haven't done so, try it now.

I have a few of my own which I always break up into categories:

FINANCIAL
* Build a larger stock portfolio
* Pay off P#1
* Build a property investment portfolio
* Contribute extra into superannuation for retirement (which is decades away)
* Pay off more of my student loan (aka HECS...something that I've been reluctant to do since the interest on the loan is indexed to inflation)
* Build up trading capital
* Start trading in stocks (again), CFDs, Options and open myself up to international markets as well
* Save up for my own side projects

PERSONAL
* Spend more time with friends & family
* Keep up with correspondence - calls, emails, social stuff
* Write more - creative writing (novels, poetry, articles), journaling, blogging (on finance and craft work)
* Save up for trips to England, Europe, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South America, Egypt and Tasmania
* Focus more on career and entrepreneurial ideas
* State of mind- happiness, relaxation, read more, allocate time for creative pursuits
* Throw more things out, hoard less
* Learn more- accounting, finance, personal finance, IT & web development, entrepreneurialship
* Be more environmentally conscious - buy things with less packaging, use grey water, less plastic, drive less and consume less

HEALTH
* Eat healthier (less junk food and snacks)
* Exercise more
* Increase fitness

As for coming up with 100 goals...that's something to think about!