4 Lessons to Carry Into the New Year

A clean slate for the new year. 

At the beginning of each year, the “new year new me” phrase starts circulating on social media and always made me roll my eyes. Did we really change from one person to the next when the clock struck midnight? No. unless you had some sort of trauma (losing a loved one, going to war,  a health scare or bad accident), or  dramatic life event like having a child we honestly don’t change much in a day. This year we are all desperate for a clean slate and sense of normalcy, we should focus on carrying the lessons we learned last year into this one. 

Lesson number one. Nothing is guaranteed.

Not your health, not your job, not your friendships, not even your home. This year shook us all to the core. The main lesson I’ve learned is to never take things for granted. To appreciate our loved ones and hug them every chance we get. To put down our phones at dinner or when someone is talking to us and just be present. 

Lesson two. Take breaks.

We are all so quick to hop from one trend, side hustle, social media competition to the next that we are well on our way to burnout. The first month of the quarantine was so hard for everyone because we actually had to stop doing all the little things that distract us from our problems and sit with them. So many people realized they hated the apartment they lived in, did not have anything in common with their partners, and that they still had childhood traumas to work through. Without the distraction of escaping to the latest bar, restaurant, nightclub, or spontaneous trip out of town. While side hustles are phenomenal and we all love going out it is okay to take four hours or a day to just do nothing. Not think of your to-do list or what you get a jump on for work, just being. This way you can dive back in with fresh eyes. These short breaks allow us to clear our heads and see that most of our problems are minuscule and can be solved in a short effective way.

Lesson three. Health is wealth.

If you are not healthy, you feel terrible, miss days of work which affects your income, then you might fall behind on bills. If you need to take expensive medications every month then that’s another financial burden you are adding to your life along with the time cost of having to wait in line to pick up your prescriptions every month. Some people become short-tempered with the people you love and co-workers because you do not feel well. This can cause a rift in your home life and job loss. In America, most of us are one hospital stay away from poverty because the financial cost of hospital stays are skyrocketing. You can read more about this here. This one of the main reasons why we need to reform our healthcare system. 

Lesson four. Compassion.

We all need to be more compassionate to other people. You truly never know what someone is going through. So many people are still without jobs and ashamed to admit it because other people will call them lazy, or say they must have done something to deserve it. Many people moved in with family because they could not afford their apartment or home anymore and it was better to share resources. Others moved home because spending time with family has truly become a priority right now. No matter what we all need to genuinely listen to the people in our lives and give financially if we are able to those in need.  Sidenote: if you are someone trying to sell an oh- em-gee amazing opportunity to work from home and sell MLM product right now shame on you. Preying on people in such a vulnerable time right now is absolutely atrocious, especially when you know the business has a low (less than 8 percent) rate of success in the first and subsequent years.

This years new years resolutions should be full of prioritizing health – mental and physical, family, friends, and finding new ways to bring joy into our lives. What are some lessons you learned last year?