2019, a year of ups and downs but if I'm being honest, it was the most valuable year of my life so far. I was like a sponge consuming tons of valuable information, from reading self-help and business books, to asking professionals I work with questions, and researching money management and investments, which I will be happy to share in future blogs.
I have decided that I would share with you, simple things you can do to improve your life. I am a strong advocate of being a better person and help/motivate others to do the same. By introducing one or all of these simple practices into your habits, I am certain they will have a great impact on your life.
Plan
Planning is very important as it helps you to achieve goals and tasks that you may set out to accomplish. Let's think for a minute, at the beginning of every year we make vision boards or a list of all the things we want to accomplish but by the time the end of the year approaches, we're only able to mark completed on the bare minimum. So if losing 40 pounds by the end of the year is a goal of yours you'll need to set out a plan on how you're going to target that goal, whether by ditching all fast foods, eating healthy, exercising daily and eat at certain times of the day; or if you wish to become a millionaire, what is the road map to reach that end goal? Planning can be easy once you don't overthink things but set goals in realistic time frames. So if your goal is to become a millionaire by age 30 your first step in your plan would be to research how to build wealth right?
Personal benefits of planning:
- It helps you to take advantage of managing your time wisely by doing daily tasks to help you reach your end goal whether big or small
- It Illuminates procrastination because there will be a guide of what should be done which will increase your productivity
- Keeps you organize as your tasks will be visible and not make you feel lost on what you should do next which will decrease stress levels by keeping your things in order
This year I've decided to take planning seriously so that I can work towards my goals. Over the past few weeks, I've been consistently planning my days and weeks ahead of time, breaking down my goals into achievable steps in different time frames, which works and allows me not to become overwhelmed and lost. To help with my planning, I use the PERFECTLY PLANNED 2020 planner by Carrie & Co, and I'm so in love with it. As I was on the hunt for planners, I wanted something cute yet simple. Most of the planners I came across were either not dated or had a crazy excessive floral design which isn't my style. Everything from the packaging to the content inside of the planner was so amazing that it felt more than just a planner. This planner provides question activities that enables you to take a look back at the previous year (2019) where you answer questions about your achievements and what you did to achieve them, down to things you didn't achieve and why. These are powerful questions giving you accountability and ownership for your actions. There's also a section in the planner where you can list all your financial, personal and business goals, and a period to achieve them. Not only does the planner focus on planning your days, it also focuses on things you would like to achieve. Even though the planner was a bit on the pricey side ($59USD), it was worth it considering the quality.
I must say before using a planner, I would set daily goals but would not get the chance to complete them. I would end up wasting time doing other irrelevant things that didn't help me to reach my end goal. Now, I'm on top of things as I would plan my day in my planner to keep me on the right track.
Keep Track of Your Money
Even though money can be a touchy subject, it is one of the things most millennials and Generation Z struggle with. Don't get me started on college debt but we'll save that for another day. Keeping track of our money is something we should take into consideration, as it can help us reach our financial goals and manage money properly. Have you ever withdraw $100 from your bank account and by the end of the day you ask yourself, "where did my $100 go?" or "What did I spend my money on?" You're not alone because it happens to me almost every day. (TMI I hate carrying cash because its so easy to lose count of the amount you're carrying once you break a hard bill). The benefits of keeping track of your money are:
- You can have a record of how you're spending your money and know where it is going
- It will be easy to spot unhealthy spending habits that you can immediately change (as it can be very hard to detect bad spending habits without keeping track) This can lead to spending more wisely
- It will help to create a realistic budget as you'll know what your expenses are and how you'd want to spend your money on certain things
I've been taking my finances seriously since last year and before every purchase I would ask myself these questions: "Am I going to get a return from this?", "Do I need this?", "Is this going to benefit me in any way?". Trust me it takes a lot of discipline and self-control to not get carried away.
To keep track of my money, I use a budget planner that I found on Amazon for $13.95. With the planner I am able to keep records of my monthly income, savings, expenses and have a clear overview of each month financially which plays a big role in setting monthly budgets for myself. My favorite feature of the budget planner is the Spending Summary. Every single time I make a purchase, I would write it down in this section of the book to a keep record of my spending whether its on food, clothing or anything else. Because of this feature I was able to detect a bad spending habit which is constantly buying food and ever since I've cut back on doing that I now prepare most of my meals at home and save extra money each month. Even though I'm very good with money, I like to take that extra step to make sure it is going exactly where I want it to go.
Link to Budget Planner: https://amzn.to/3b4c2S8
To keep track of my money, I use a budget planner that I found on Amazon for $13.95. With the planner I am able to keep records of my monthly income, savings, expenses and have a clear overview of each month financially which plays a big role in setting monthly budgets for myself. My favorite feature of the budget planner is the Spending Summary. Every single time I make a purchase, I would write it down in this section of the book to a keep record of my spending whether its on food, clothing or anything else. Because of this feature I was able to detect a bad spending habit which is constantly buying food and ever since I've cut back on doing that I now prepare most of my meals at home and save extra money each month. Even though I'm very good with money, I like to take that extra step to make sure it is going exactly where I want it to go.
Link to Budget Planner: https://amzn.to/3b4c2S8
Stop Being Afraid of Failure
In life our biggest fear is failure. Growing up we were taught not to be losers or that failing is bad. I'm here to tell you that failing is okay once you're not quitting . Because we fear failure we're often scared to start new ventures or even follow our dreams so that we don't face humiliation if things don't work out as planned. Failure is a fundamental element of success. It teaches us to come up with solutions to solve problems, that makes us more knowledgeable, but sometimes we tend to quit things too early missing out on the test that can potentially prepare us for the next step.
The benefits of failing are:
- Failure teaches lessons that we can benefit from in the future
- It will keep you motivated to keep trying until you've reached your end goal
- Helps to overcome fear which will motivate you to take risks and not be afraid of the outcome
Stop being afraid to fail because the faster you fail, the faster you learn which means the quicker you will find a solution to succeed. It's all a learning process and getting to know yourself better because facing obstacles can test your character. Do all the things you desire and stop letting fear hold you back.
Ask
Sometimes we tend to be afraid to ask questions because we think that there may be a negative outcome whether it be a 'no', rejection or whatever the case may be. I can confidently say that I've been guilty of that in the past. Before there would be questions that I would be eager to know the answers to but didn't have the confidence to ask simply because I thought that people may think that the questions or I myself was stupid, or I would get a screwed look and no answer. Let's be real here, the majority of us have been through this in Math class where the teacher may ask the students if there were any questions and we'll hold back our questions fearing not to look stupid in front of the entire classroom.
It is important to ask questions whether it be for help, not understanding something, or simply gaining knowledge in a field we know nothing about but have an interest in. Again, since last year I've gotten into building financial wealth, I would do my research, read books and watch YouTube videos but I wanted to have face to face conversations. So I decided to ask one of my managers, who is a great investor and that conversation changed my entire life because I looked at things so differently now. Growing up I was told to live a "good" life, I must work and save by just putting money in the bank and not touching it. But being honest here, that's bogus, imagine living a life where your money works for you and you not working for your money... it's possible. If I didn't ask a question, I probably would not have known the things I know now. Everyday I ask millions of questions and I've learned so much.
Remember, a shut mouth doesn't get fed. Don't always assume that an answer would always be negative because you don't know what the outcome would be. The most you can get for an answer is 'no' which will always be better than living in regret not asking a question where the answer could've possibly changed your life for the best. A 'no' won't kill you.
Outfit Details:
Over sized top: Forever21
Swimsuit: FashionNova
Shorts: Forever21
Bag: FashinNova
Bracelet: Pandora
Flip Flops: GoJane
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Outfit Details:
Over sized top: Forever21
Swimsuit: FashionNova
Shorts: Forever21
Bag: FashinNova
Bracelet: Pandora
Flip Flops: GoJane
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
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