HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

It’s been a while since I last wrote in my Blog

Therein is my New Year resolution for 2009, to write at least once a month in my Blog. New Year’s resolutions have been going on as far as I can remember and every year we declare new resolutions but not many committed ourselves to it and consequentially we continue declaring the same resolutions every year.

Let’s not put our expectation too high and start with simple ideas for our resolutions.

1. Start waking up early every morning, leave early to work, avoid the traffic jams and arrive early in the office- well that will be some doing but achievable if you set your mind to it. Think of how much more you gain if you are early. Suddenly you have created more time that you thought you don’t have. Try it.

2. Start saving 10% of your salary every month. These will be useful for your retirement, that long overdue vacation overseas and maybe treat yourself to something extravagant at the end of the year. Having more saving is definitely a good thing, no question about that.

3. Start making more regular trips to see your parents, who may be staying by themselves. Try to make it once a month. If distance is a hindrance maybe you should try to make it a point to call them once a week to check on them. It will make them happy that their children care for them.

4. Try to do more cooking and cut down on eating out. Eating out is expensive and not forgetting that home cooking has more quality and tastier. Furthermore eating out too often will soon become a chore. Have you ever come to a situation not knowing what to eat when outside? This means that you have been eating out too often.

5. Start to exercise. If you have been exercising but not regularly try to make it more regular. Many of us can’t find time to exercise. In a society of high anxiety and not enough time start creating time for yourself. Too many people died of heart failure and that in itself is a strong incentive to start exercising.

6. Try to see your neighbour more. We are living in a society where neighbourliness is non existence. Everybody is busy and have no time for neighbour. Sadly the only time you visit them is when they passed away and you are paying your last respect. It will be awful as you hardly speak to them when they are alive. Start speaking to them today.

7. Maintain friendship and create new friends. Start to be interested in other people and they will show interest to you. Start talking to people instead of talking about yourself to them. Start calling them instead of waiting for them to call you. Use the sms more often; it’s save time and money and just as effective. In other words start connecting to other people and they will connect to you.

8. Read and read and read....well reading is the windows to the world. People who don’t read do not know what they are missing. Try to read at least a book per month and in between read a lot of newspaper, magazines, comic books, cooking books, journal etc whatever that interest you. In other words don’t stop reading.....

9. Start cutting down on credits. Limit your credit to an amount manageable to you. For example you may set maximum credit outstanding to be 10% of your take home pay. Anything beyond will means that you are exposing yourself to financial risks. Take control of credit before it take control of you.

10. Make yourself happy. Do anything that makes you happy. This last one can be anything. Whatever it is keep within the law and do not create unhappiness to others.

Wishing all of you a Happy New Year 2009 and let’s hope that it will be a great year for all of us.