December 2022 newsletter

 

Happy New Year to you and your family!

Out with the old, in with the new!

Which of the old ones will you throw out this year? And which new ones will you adopt?

I'd like to share my experience with you. 

Looking back to my past self, I was not a planner. I did everything spontaneously and randomly. The schedule of my job pushed me through a day. After finishing working, I let my emotions lead my life. I may read or wander around bookstores. Or I may see my friends and chat with them to relieve the stress. 

No plans. I didn't plan how much to earn, how many places to visit, or how many books to read. I just went with the flow that life threw at me. 

I was a teacher of English in Vietnam then. I taught my students about New Year's resolutions, in which people set out goals for the next year. Even when I was in the U.S., I still found that New Year's resolution was not for me.  

Are your resolutions like this?

It was the same when I had kids. My schedule was around my kids' schedule. I had no goals for my future. I thought that I could wait for my kids to go to school before I could go back to work. 

Yoga wasn't in my plan until my health was going down. Laying on the bed for a few days because my backache was so bad that I couldn't move, I realized that no one could help me get better health except for myself. Yep, I acted quickly because life threw me a lesson about health. I badly wanted to live strong until my kids grow up. Since then, health is my priority. 

Last year, my yoga instructor gifted me a small but important present and a reminder card that says "You are what you Do, not what you say you'll do". 

I was struck. I thought I was the person who did more than I said. Hmm, but it may be right. So I wrote out my resolution and posted it on my Facebook on January 10, 2022. 

I tried the new one last year to be a better self. But how can I know I am better, even 1% better? 

It's hard to evaluate because half of my goals were so vague, like "complete CRM for data storage". 

My resolution for New Year 2022:
For my health:  yoga class 2 times/ week; 4-minute workout every day; breathing practice.
For my career: Self-study 2 hours/day for CRPC certificate; complete CRM for marketing, write a blog post every week; continue to translate a book by Kim Butler, etc.

Also, the goals I completed were the ones with numbers indicating the specific time and amount. For example, the CRPC certificate goal had the time indicative I had to finish learning and started taking the exam, so I completed it. 

The goal which seems easier to achieve like "reading books my kids refer" is hard to evaluate because I didn't say how many books I need to read. 

Lessons learned for me. So, if you are going to make resolutions for the New Year, remember to set SMART Goals.

S stands for Specific.

M stands for Measurable

A is for Actionable

R is for Realistic

T stands for Time-bound.

Source

 

"Reading books" is Actionable and Realistic but not Specific, not Measurable, and Time-bound. I can change it into "I read 1 book referred by my kid every week". This will satisfy the SMART goal.

Similarly, if your financial goal is to "save $12,000 this year", it may not be realistic and actionable if you can't break it down into small measurable amounts. So you need to save $1,000 a month, or $500 per 2 weeks. Is this goal actionable? If not, you can lower your goal a little bit. 

If you think you can save $500 per 2 weeks, you should deduct $500 immediately from your biweekly paycheck, and set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings on a specific day. It is similar to automatic deduction from your checking account to pay utility bills or insurance bills. 

Source

So, your resolution can be "Set up an automatic deduction of $250 per paycheck for 12 months." The lesser money you have in your bank account, the more chances you will stop and ask if it is a need or a want before buying one item. 

Some people save more by buying less, cutting down on entertainment, or cooking at home more. 

Others save by forced saving, like the automatic deduction I mentioned above. It is similar to your 401(k) contributions which your employer will deduct from your wage before delivering your paycheck to you. You can do this yourself to force you to save more.

Of course, some others may work a second job to save more, however, the more you earn, the more tax you pay as well as other expenses along with the 2nd job. Your health also compensates for working more and resting less. So please weigh down all your options before making a goal. 

Source

This year, I continue to be a newer and better self. This new year 2023 is predicted to be a more difficult time than the year 2020. When the outside is in chaos, I want to get back to my inner self to restore my energy. I will have to discipline myself more to complete my compulsory tasks. 

Here are categories for my resolution for the New Year 2023, in the order of priority, from the most to the least important:

- For better health,

- For my family,

- For my career,

- For my financial goal,

- For my community.

Will you pick something new to do?

Will you have a resolution of your own?  

Do you have the determination to achieve your goals?

Here is a message from my yoga instructor I want to share with you: Direction is so much more important than speed. Some are going nowhere fast.  

Direction is so much more important than speed.
Some are going nowhere fast.

I wish you and your family a happy new year with good health, luck, and happiness. May 2023 be an extraordinary year for you! 

Ha Le, CRPC™

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