New year resolutions! That is so cliche!
We make promises to ourselves every year.
We pledge ourselves to great goals and ambitions.
We pick one day of the year and believe that we will INSTANTLY turn a new leaf – That we will become a brand new person.. Just like that.
But
All we really do is break those promises. We never see them through. And of course none of us is clean from this sin. Not a single one of us can say that I have never failed my so called “new year resolution”
Today, I am writing about mindset and attitudes. And while I’m at it I will also go over a few things now that we have entered into the new year.
Before you read further, I want to bring to your attention that I intentionally decided to publish this article once we entered into the new year AND not before. Because unlike most other writers, I wanted to make a point. Since my vision has always been about you, about getting your life going on the right foot and be as prepared as possible for anything that life can throw at you. You need to realize that life will throw only a limited number of opportunities in your way. And you cannot possibly believe that you can make a commitment on a certain day. It just doesn’t logically work out.
You cannot tell yourself that you will magically become a better person or adopt new habits on the 1st day of the new year. I know, it seems nice to have a focal point from where to start new beginnings, but what if you are not able to pull off your promises that you made to yourself?
Will you give up?
Will you wait for this year to end too so that you can make another new year resolution on 1st January 2026?
Seems like a big waste of your time, potential and all the possibilities of greatness.
What you need to do is to make a solemn pledge to yourself – a promise to change yourself now and carry on the good fight till the end of your days.
No more new year resolutions.
No more half promises.
No more “half measures”
Commit yourself like you mean it. Like it’s the last chance you will ever get. And stick to it.
So, grab your notebook, grab a pen… you know what comes next!
The 1st thing that you need to do and this is especially for business owners and new entrepreneurs who are reading right now, is to get more organized with respect to your accounting books. You would be amazed how many people neglect this area of their businesses.
I, too, never thought much about maintaining proper records. Because I was so much engaged in the action, the sales and marketing part of the business – because that is fun, right. However, I realized my mistakes when I found multiple human errors in my ledgers, accounts and inventory books.
So, what you can do is,
1. hire an accountant on your payroll,
2. get a decent accounting software deployed,
Or to outsource the entire accounting function altogether to a professional accounting servicing firm.
And the reason I’m mentioning this is because we should be very careful about our finances and taxes. Many times, straight lay abiding firms are fined heavily because they are not careful about their books. The same goes for individuals; review your expenses and really get clear on what you are going to be filing for taxes.
Because this cannot be done at the last moment near the end of the tax year. And even if your business is brand new and you don’t have a ton of transactions, it is a good habit to build up from right now.
Make a habit of taking this thing seriously. Check at the end of every quarter in your business.
Review your transactions and record all your expenses. Declare only what needs to be and omit what you can from your records. I am not a saint and neither am I telling you to be one.
Play safe.
Play smart.
Don’t overpay your taxes!
The second thing that I think you should do is to think about making content. This is your opportunity to really get in front of a lot of people in your audience. This is your opportunity to make money even if your business is new.
At the start of the year, consumers are hyper aware and also it’s the season of buying.
They’re on Tick Tock more,
They’re on Instagram more,
They’re looking for things to buy more. They’re looking for deals. They’re looking for sales discounts and with you being present out there, sharing creative content is really going to get you to stand out.
So, build in yourself the habit of presenting yourself or your products or your services. Make it part of your routine. You will eventually get better and eventually excel at it.
I know it’s difficult to dive into a new habit. But you want to improve your life, don’t you?
So, instead of making a new year’s resolution, make a life resolution!
Think about your current situation. E.g. You want to lose weight, to look better and feel better? But, it’s not an overnight thing, is it?
Same is the case with adopting a new habit, a new lifestyle. And so you as a business owner have an opportunity to put your products and services right in front of people by making content.
So I don’t want you guys thinking, well this cannot be started now, that you should have started making preparations two weeks prior to the new year?!
No!
Shed this mindset.
You cannot wait until another year or another month to be your best self.
No, start now!
Be your best self right now.
This is your time to really lay it on the line.
Remember, you have to commit to a permanent lifestyle change. And it’s not just about creating content – That’s my suggestion. It’s about having a mindset to whatever change you want to incorporate in your life.
Just promise to stick to it.
The third thing I need you to do is to start creating passive income.
Easier said than done – I KNOW.
Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do.
If you can get into the real estate game for rentals then that would be fantastic.
If you can secure loans and funding, that’s another great way to secure passive income
Whether you decide to buy property or you decide to leverage it to start Airbnbs.
It really depends, which part of the world you belong to right now.
Its just an example of how one of those can bring you passive income.
There are tons of ideas out there, you can do your research BUT having passive income can help you out during days when your main bread and butter might not be performing too well.
Now the fourth thing that I want you to do immediately is to invest in yourself.
A skilled human without money is more secure than an unskilled person with money.
Check out if you lack necessary skills in your field – add unto your personal portfolio and get ahead in life. Or you could add new skills from a different industry as well. See what is most relevant these days, do your research.
There are many creators who will be recommending investing in the stock market, in commodities or even crypto.
If any of you ask me, I would not say anything…
Primarily, I don’t have the necessary skills or knowledge or even the experience to give a recommendation.
But beyond that, I have read much about them and found them to be highly volatile and risky.
All I can advise is to tread carefully, if any of you do venture into such investments.
Finally, change your social circle.
Specially if they are not those who are talking about business,
About work,
About the stock market or crypto,
About productivity,
About excelling in life.
Don’t let your family, your friends, your circle hold you back from discovering your best self. This might be, perhaps, my most painful suggestion. No one wants to do it.
But those of you who know, know which of your peers are lazy, laid back and not wanting much from life.
You may find yourself alone but you will also benefit from the lack of negativity.
You adopt from the people you hang around with.
Start sitting with the heavy hitters
Those, for whom, crushing at life, is what it’s all about.
A minor point,
Start the habit of reading.
Fantasy or self help – whatever tingles you.
Nurture in yourself the love of reading and eventually it will become a habit.
You will start to become a more cultured human being and that goes a long way.
So these are really some great things that I want you to adopt and start doing now.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the new year. I would have suggested it to anybody regardless of the time of the year. All I care is that you really continue doing these not for 60 days or 360 days but in perpetuity. Make this practice a norm for yourself, for your business and for your life.
This is how you’re going to scale up.
This is how you’re going to make more money and
This is how you’re going to build your legacy.
