Nairobi News

Like me, many of you out there are grateful to breathe into the New Year having overcome so much loss be it socially, financially, mentally, physically or spiritually among other things.

Aside from the loss, many of you have also achieved great fetes. You’ve saved money thanks to those social media challenges, you’ve probably acquired an asset because you finally realized liabilities are pending heartaches, you finally fell for someone and told them of your feelings, and they accepted them, you landed a new job, you got that baby you always longed for.

You’ve finally lost that weight you’ve been negotiating with all year. Congratulations!

And so, away from the mainstream New Year’s resolutions billions across the world love jotting down, here are some ideas I think might be the new thing you’d want to embark on in 2023…

1. Become a better version of yourself- It’s as simple as that. You can decide that you are going to be disciplined in whatever you need to get done, that you need to be kinder and patient in an ever-increasing impatient world, and that you would try and see the positive side of things instead of dwelling on the negative. This will work wonders for your mental health without being influenced by the outside world. You can influence yourself into being a content being who is fulfilled and ready to interact with the world at a more conscious level holistically. A plus side? You will probably make more friends this way in a world that is fast shrinking into existing on social media platforms instead of promoting human interactions. More than five good friends at 30? That’s a major win!
2. Believe in a higher power- World. We have overcome so much! We overcame and continue to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. We have survived so much life loss occasioned by the pandemic, we are surviving the historical inflation rates across the world, and we continue to survive premature death and illnesses because we have worked so hard that we have been placed in positions where we can cater to our needs. Whether you are an atheist or not, something or someone in the world is shaping our destinies, and for me, that happens to be God, for others Allah, Vishnu and so forth. It wouldn’t hurt to believe in a higher power working round the clock to take care of us where our human capabilities can’t reach- and it does give great comfort to know someone/something is rooting for us to win at life.
3. Be an active community member- Equity is a foreign term in a capitalist society. So if you are well off financially, have great health, and life is going great for you, take a minute and think of the community outside your four walls. You can participate in conducting donation drives for the less privileged. You can coordinate group visits to children’s homes to spend time with them, participate in planting trees to benefit future generations, and organize humanitarian events for people living on the streets to show them they matter. Your act of service can never be in vain.
4. Open a savings account- It tends to be a New Year resolution to save more money, cliché as it is. But I want to challenge you to make it a resolution to open a savings account instead of saving more money. This kick will get you into driving to save money you did not plan for actively. So go ahead and open that money market fund account where you will earn interest just for saving money, or you can choose to open a fixed deposit account if you are not disciplined in saving money and leaving it saved for some time. MMF, fixed deposit if you are not disciplined. These accounts will help you save for your goals ranging from building a home, amassing capital to start a business or accumulating money to undertake that higher degree education you’ve always longed for.
5. Don’t give as good as you get- Because if you do, your life will be a plateau. People will only interact with you at the level you allow them to. Don’t give as good as you get. Give more if possible. Sometimes, karma can be a good thing. Suppose someone gives you a kilo of Unga ya Ugali or buys you a litre of whiskey someday. Why don’t you surprise them with a little bit more than what they gave you and watch yourself create meaningful relationships with people because they know you are a good person with a good heart? Do experiment and let me know how it turns out…
6. Have a thanksgiving jar for post-it notes- Don’t always focus on the negatives in life, and if you have nothing to celebrate at the end of the year, these notes will remind you of what you’ve accomplished over the year and are thankful for. What better way to go into the New Year than with a content heart that is reminded you can achieve anything you put your mind to?
7. Try and be faithful- In your finances, your friendships, your relationships and in your accountability.

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