Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Someone wise once told me; how you start something, is how you will finish it. As we end yet another year and begin a new - I ask you, how will you begin this New Year? This time of year can bring on a variety of emotions. If you reflect on the beginning of the year (2015), can you remember how you felt at that time? Were you calm, cool and collected, or were you anxious, frustrated and chaotic? Did you make resolutions for the New Year? Did you plan for success or failure? Did you succeed at the goals that you set? This is a wonderful time of year to cleanse your thoughts, emotions, homes and businesses. Get in tune with your inner being and allow healing and then reNEWal. Start the New Year with a plan for success. Where would you like to see yourself and/ or your business by the end of 2016. How would you like to feel? How do you feel now? Reflect on the things that served you well during this year. Reflect on the people and activities that brought joy to your life. Reflect on the people and activities that did not bring you joy. Remove the clutter. Remember, if it is not beautiful, meaningful or useful – it’s gotta go. Remove the negative thoughts, emotions, people and activities and replace them with the positive. Start the New Year happy, powerful, in control, ready to take on the challenges and open to receive the rewards. Planning for your New Year’s success can be an overwhelming task, when constantly in the day to day survival mode.

Here are some tips to get you started on the right track:

1. Consider your desires Where do you see yourself at the end of 2016? Your first challenge is to make sure your goals are attainable. While there’s nothing wrong with setting goals that seem nearly impossible (people do perform on Broadway, right?), the chances of making it happen decrease if you aim for the extreme. So train for a 10K before tackling a marathon, and strive to lose those first five pounds before expecting to fit into a size 4.

2. Be Realistic

Whether it’s losing 25 pounds, starting your own business or being nicer to your coworkers, your New Year’s resolution must be realistic regarding the amount of time, money and effort necessary to achieve your goal.

3. Do It for You

Whatever the goal, making a resolution because someone else wants you to change is a recipe for disaster. Why? When the going gets tough, you’ll lack the passion and perseverance it takes to see it through. And when you inevitably end up quitting, it won’t feel as bad because it wasn’t your goal to begin with.

4. Take Baby Steps

It’s great to keep your eye on the prize, but in order to reach the final goal, you’ll have to take baby steps. It won’t be easy since most of us prefer instant gratification. So instead of looking at your resolution as one big challenge, break it down into small goals you can tackle along the way.

5. Expand Your Horizons While weight loss and health-related goals are among the most popular resolutions, self-improvement can also stimulate the brain, not just the body. And what better way to seek progress in your life than being open to new experiences?

6. Expect the Unexpected There will always be obstacles that can slow down your progress in achieving your New Year’s resolutions. But if you’re prepared for them, you’ll be less likely to throw in the towel. Sometimes you can predict the challenges; sometimes you’ll be blindsided. Either way, having a game plan will help you deal with the hurdles you face.

7. Laugh More Now this is a New Year’s resolution to feel good about. Laughter really is the best medicine!

8. Celebrate Your Successes

Every little triumph is cause for celebration as you take steps toward your ultimate goal.

9. Pay It Forward A surprising way to continue goodwill in the New Year is to help someone else, particularly if you’ve enjoyed success this year.

10. Are You Living Your Life to the Fullest?

James Dean once said, "Dream as if you'll live forever, and live as if you'll die today." Do you take time to pursue your passions or are you a slave to the daily grind? Contact IBCVI & Co., for planning, life mapping / goal setting assistance and let’s begins this New Year with a plan for success!

By Abbelle Bakr, B.A., C.A., SRTP IBCVI & Co. SBA Emerging Leader 2015