2015 was generally a good year for me. It was a year of firsts, major decisions, opportunities, and some roadblocks along the way – which I happily accepted. Some tested my patience while there are instances that made me thankful and blessed. Overall, I was happy with how my year turned out and I’m not complaining.
Of course, 2015 gave me some lessons too, which I hope to bring this 2016. With these lessons, I also learned that there are some things I or we should all leave behind.
These are:
1. Excess weight – 2015 and holiday season is over. No need to bring the pounds you gained this 2016. Instead, start working on your diet and encourage yourself to work out more. Let go of bad eating habits and stop making excuses to justify why you bought a gallon of ice cream. Don’t promise yourself to work out and stick to it for only a week. It’s summer season in just a few months, so better get your bikini body ready.
2. The need to buy something expensive – You don’t need to buy that P2,000++ worth of shoes for your little one when you can get something cheaper yet of good quality. Instead, focus more on getting more value for money. After all, expensive is not always the best one.
3. Surrounding yourself with bad vibes – Negativity attracts negativity and you don’t need that in your life. Instead, think of the good things and look into the positive side to attract good vibes.
4. Stop posting the material things you have – Bragging by posting what you have in social media is and will never be okay. So what if your husband bought you the LV Trevi you’ve always wanted? Surely, there are lots of women who have that too – and they don’t to show it to the world. Instead, think before you post. Showing off what you have (and putting your account in public) could send the wrong signals and encourage the bad guys to do something to you or your family.
5. Neglecting your skin – Skin is the largest organ in your body, which follows that it is not hard to ignore it. Younger years might mean going out under the sun without any sun protection or forgetting about the importance of moisturizing. As you grow older, skin gets more prone to various conditions without you noticing it. Instead of neglecting your skin, try paying attention to it. Moisturize regularly, exfoliate three to for times a week, apply sunscreen before going outdoors, and give your skin the attention it deserves.
6. Skip the fast food or the urge eating out – Who doesn’t want good food? Dining out almost every night means spending cash, which you could use on other important things. Plus, eating out could mess up with your weight loss goals. Instead, bring out your inner Masterchef and your grandma’s cookbook and make your own food. You can even control the serving size and assure yourself that you are eating food made of real and natural ingredients.
7. One word: debt – Paying debt may take some time, but the important thing is to take action as soon as you can. Instead of burying yourself more with unpaid credit card bills, why not allot a certain portion of your salary to pay for the debt (this includes penalty fee and finance charges). You could be doing more with your money, say retirement fund?
This leads you to the next one.
8. Bad spending habits – This leads me back to spending too much money on material and irrelevant things. It will always be a never-ending cycle. You work hard, spend your money on almost anything you can touch even if it means using the shiny plastic card, get buried in debt, then you work hard to pay for those debts, then spend again because you need a stress reliever. Instead, ask yourself first before paying for anything. It’s okay to spend for yourself and your family once in a while, but learn to control your spending. After all, money can’t buy happiness.
9. The “I’ll start doing it tomorrow” attitude – This is also known as procrastination. What’s the point of planning to change certain aspects in your life, say losing weight or being a manager in just one year, if you keep on delaying action? Instead, take action now, not tomorrow, not two days from now. If you want to make changes and feel those changes as early as possible, you better start now.
10. The need to compare and complain – Admit it. You can’t help but feel bad every time you see pictures of friends having a blast in Japan or a kumare with a new Prada bag from her husband. Then you feel sorry for yourself and complain why other people’s lives are so much better than yours. Instead of comparing and complaining, focus your energy on the positive side of things. You may not own the latest gadget or seldom go out of the country with the family, but at least, you were able to buy a brand-new car in cash or you saved sufficient amount for your child’s college education.
11. The clutter – Out with the old, in with the new, so they say. You don’t need to hold on to your college materials or receipts three years ago. They only accumulate dust and makes your room cluttered, even if they are piled properly. Instead, sort your things into three boxes: Keep, Throw, Give Away. A clean house leads to clear, uncluttered mind too.
12. Forget about saving – This traces back to bad spending habits and too much fascination for material things. Life is full of uncertainties and you will never know what will happen in a day, a week, a month, or even three years from now. Instead of foregoing saving and focusing more on material things, set your priorities and make sure you allot a few portion of your salary for “future use.” There are also various ways where you can grow your money, so explore all possible options.
13. Wasting time – How many times have you heard the saying, “Time is gold?” For sure, a lot. This is because time is truly gold and we should all use it wisely. Instead, learn to use time wisely. There might be some paperwork you need to finish or your closing might be screaming for some de-cluttering, which you can do on spare time. Sure, you can spend a few hours catching up with your favorite series, but do so only when you’re done with what needs to be done and there is nothing left to do.
14. Saying no to making new and maintaining friends – There will always be an opportunity where you can meet new people. Instead of avoiding these situations, go ahead and embrace them. Allow yourself to meet new people and gain new friends. As to your old friends, make sure you make time for them. No man is an island and you will always need friends to keep you sane.
15. Daydreaming and no action – Was there a time when you want something so bad that you are willing to do whatever it takes just to get that? Apparently, you won’t get what you want without working hard for it. Instead of waiting for that dream to happen, it is much better if you do something and take action in order to realize those dreams. Sure, timing matters, but what if the right time comes and yet, you did nothing?
16. Giving up – Life will always find a way to challenge us and make us feel that we are weak and worthless. It’s a survival of the fittest and the weak ones are eliminated – figuratively speaking. There will also come a time when you did everything you can in order to get to the tip of success ladder and yet, something is bringing you down. Giving up is the easiest thing to do, but are you going down without a fight? Instead, remind yourself why you are working hard. Continuously inspire yourself to go on and never give up despite the roadblocks ahead of you. You won’t fully enjoy and appreciate what you have unless you worked hard for it.
More importantly, smile. Life is short to wear a frown.
Ayi is a stay-at-home mom of two. When her kids are in their best state, she keeps up with chores, work, and ensuring that her sanity is intact. Join her as she navigates through this rollercoaster ride called motherhood.
I agree with everything year! This year, I swore to make a conscious step to remove all the bad vibes from my life.
Great reflection for the new year.I’ve always been one who is focused on the price then the quality.Coz if I can’t afford it then it is useless for me regretting not being able to buy it.I actually love the thrill of bargain hunting!
Agree especially with the need to buy expensive things. Not really something that should be done. Also with the not giving up, because as the wise words from Nadine in OTWOL push dapat!
Delayed gratification is the best way to curb spending. I will forego buying if I cannot pay it in cash.
Great list! No 1 is also on my list this year.
Great tips to start this year 2016. I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. Most of them is me and I should change for the better.
I love this and some of them made me feel guilty about hehehe.
Super agree with everything! Lets push these this 2016 and beyond. š
I had to pause and laugh after I rrad excess weight. You’re right; we need to let go of unhealthy habits!
Ayayay! Your number 1 is my number 1 talaga!
sooooooo agree with all these! before 2016, i told myself to become more optimistic and see the positive in everything as much as possible. but as days go on, i started thinking about the same things as you have in this post š cheers!
I agree with everything here. Thank you for posting. My mantra for this year is focus on the good even sometimes things doesn’t seem to go along with what I expected for but I’m trying to see the good side of it. Let’s shoo those negative vibes away xx
yes, this is a good list of things to give up this year. Saving this now for future reference + cheers to making 2016 our best year yet!