Hello esteemed readers, It’s the beginning of the year, and it’s expected that most of us would make New Year resolutions. Although according to Statistic Brain Research Institute, USA,  45% of people usually make New Year's resolutions,  only 8% successfully achieve their resolution and 49% of people have infrequent success.  It is believed that keeping New Year resolutions isn’t as easy as making them, as many even forget they made such resolutions before the end of the first quarter of the year. That is why for many, their New year resolution is to actually "Stick to Resolutions". Yea! it's hard, but also possible to keep resolutions. I kept a handful of mine last year; like, not skipping breakfast and not eating late at night( I had to make a conscious effort on this one).  If you are keen on  keeping your resolutions and making them come true, Lets see a few pointers.

Be realistic. One of the major challenges in keeping a resolution is aiming too high and setting unrealistic goals. Resolving to look like Agbani Darego in a month is an unrealistic resolution for any plus size woman, but resolving to exercise regularly, eat right and cut back on unhealthy foods is more realistic. So don't set up yourself to fail. Keep your goals simple. Set small steps to be taken per time. Not too broad and No extremes.

You have to define your goals. Just resolving to attain great heights in your business, career, family and relationships isn’t good enough. You have to write down specifically how you are going to move towards the goals you have set and develop concrete ways to reach them. If your family is neglected because of your business or career , you have to define ways that you would create a balance. Wishing and saying it won't do. But by the time you have developed HOW you are going to reach you goal, you would have at the same time been able to convince yourself that you can

Set a schedule that reflects when you are making the changes needed to reach your goal. Give yourself reasonable time. Planning to quit smoking or drinking gradually in a couple of weeks is realistic but planning to do so overnight is not.  If you set no schedule at all or you set one so unrealistic, you are setting up yourself to fail.

In trying to reach your goals, there could be setbacks; inability to live up to your set schedule or steps. It does no good to be upset and depressed by them. Do not allow your resolve to weaken, rather putting such temporary setbacks into perspective can help you move beyond them and attain your goals. Remember, not all resolutions are to be kept, especially the fun and unrealistic ones. You have to focus your energy and time on the needed and realistic ones.

Be assured that, there is no shame in getting help or support. When you realize your own limitations, enlist the help of a professional, your pastor(clergy or religious head), friend or family member. There are times when telling others about your resolve and goals keep you in check and help you achieve them.

Having the above in mind will help to increase your chances of success. Also,  Keeping a journal, making daily or weekly goals, and stating reasons you want to make the changes will determine how long you get to keep your resolution.

Lastly,  know that the New Year is not only a time to make changes in your life, but also a time to be thankful for being alive and well and a time to improve upon the already good in your life.  

 

According to statisticbrain.com there are many types of resolutions.  Below are some of the things people will resolve to do this year. If yours isn't on the list, feel free to add/share in the comment section.

 

    TOP 20 NEW YEAR RESOLUTION FOR 2016
1. Spend less, Save more

2. Lose weight

3. Learn something new and exciting

4. Quick smoking

5. Fall in love

6. Stay fit and healthy

7. Spend more time with family

8. Help the need/less privilege

9. Quite drinking

10. Travel and see places

11. Start school

12. Get a new job

13. Self improvement

14. Start own business

15. Join a gym

16. Be on time

17. Less social media

18. Work hard

19. Build faith

20. Pay up debts
 

 All the best!
-Aitee

We hear people say all the time that money cannot buy happiness. I have even preached it myself because true happiness comes from deep personal connections and life experiences rather than material goods. Also a person's ability to savor experiences predicts their degree of happiness.

However, Tim Lemke takes a look at some of the research indicating that money does indeed play a role in making people happier as the people on the lowest end of the income scale are vulnerable to depression and other mental health problems.

 

1. You’re Less Likely to Suffer From Depression

A 2012 report from Gallup revealed that people in poverty are more likely to suffer from health problems, with depression being the most common. About 30.9% of poor people said they have been diagnosed with depression at some point, compared to about 15.8% (half as many!) for those not in poverty.

2. Your Kids Brains Will Develop Better

PBS reported in June on the growing body of evidence supporting the idea that growing up in poverty can have a long-term impact on children’s cognitive development. In the most extreme cases, children endure “toxic stress” that is shown to actually chemically alter their brains.

 

3. You Can Afford an Education

A 2012 study by Pew and the University of Virginia found a connection between happiness and obtaining a college degree. A broad education, researchers concluded, can lead to a richer and more fulfilling life, as well as greater earning opportunities.

4. You’ll Avoid Student Loans

There’s been a lot written about the impact of student loans on young people, and there’s evidence that the crushing debt can actually be detrimental to happiness. An article published in the journal Social Science and Medicine concluded that student loan debt was related to “poorer psychological functioning” among young adults.

5. You Can Mentally Savor Life

When you have money, you don’t need to focus as much attention on acquiring it in order to meet your basic needs. This frees up your mind to actually savor the experiences of life, according to a 2010 article in Scientific American. The article concluded that “…a person’s ability to savor experiences predicts their degree of happiness.”

 

6. You’re “Buffered” From Sadness

A recent paper in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science concluded that there may not be a direct connection between money and happiness, per se. But, the authors said there was strong evidence that money prevented sadness. The study concluded that people with money can more easily “buffer” themselves against stressful events.

7. You’ll Be Free to Spend Money on Others

When you barely have enough to support yourself, you’re likely not thinking about giving back to others. But being generous with your money is a path to happiness, according to a Harvard study titled “Using Money to Benefit Others Pays Off.” In the study, researchers gave money to students to spend on either themselves or others by the end of the day. “People who had been assigned to spend the money on someone else reported feeling [a] happier mood over the course of the day than those assigned to spend the money on themselves,” the authors wrote.

 

8. You Can Spend Money on Experiences

There’s considerable evidence that buying “stuff” doesn’t make anyone any happier. But paying for experiences offers a good bang for your buck when it comes to happiness, according to the book Stumbling on Happiness. Whether it’s swimming with sharks off the coast of South Africa or hang gliding over a volcano in Hawaii, experiences do cost money.

9. You’re Less Likely to Be Lonely

A 2011 study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology concluded that people with meaningful social connections are generally happiest. And there is other evidence showing that people with less money are more likely to be lonely. The Guardian reported in 2014 that “Poor social networks should be

 

DO YOU AGREE? If Yes, Add other ways you think money can buy happiness

 

So I walked into a store about two weeks ago, and what did I see? Display of Christmas trees, decorations, gift-items, cards and toys. The sales girl was even moving her head to the rhythm of a soft music (Christmas carol, surprisingly) and I was quickly reminded that Christmas was crawling in on us, whether we were prepared or not. I also remembered my long things-to-buy-list or should I say my Christmas budget, and I immediately started catching the season’s fever.

 December or Christmas, as it were, is considered the spending season. That time when individuals and families come under a lot of emotional, psychological and physical pressure. More so for those who have no earlier plans or budget. Yeah, it is that time when some City folks spend their year-long earning/savings just to impress their contemporaries and family in the village or back home.

Christmas can be an incredibly stressful time for families with children because they would want their kids to have what they desire. It can be quite difficult for people to accept that they need to cut back on their expenses at Christmas. For the husband, the head of the family, It’s important that you sit down and talk about it as a family rather than allow yourself  to be psychologically pushed into debt or carry a burden that will last months into 2016.

For me, I have come to understand that enjoying Christmas is not determine by spending more money or buying more stuff. So, unlike me, if you’re feeling the pressure to spend more in order to make yourself, family and friends happy, well, let’s look at other ways for you to take the pressure off and enjoy this Christmas.

       SHOP EARLY AND DON’T GO OVER YOUR BUDGET.

After deciding and you do have to decide first, on what kind of Christmas you want and how you will celebrate it, it is important that you start shopping early. This will save you from being sucked into ‘rush hour’ expenditure. Don’t wait until 24^th December before going to the market or stores. Shop while prices of goods and gift-items are still reasonable and the stores are not flooded with people.

 

 Create a Christmas list and include the amount for the items, total the amount to know if your ‘purse’ can conveniently foot the bill, and do not hesitate to drop from the list items that are not necessary. Go to the market or stores with cash (exact amount) in hand, not with your credit or debit cards, to avoid overspending. This works for me majority of the time, as someone who greatly enjoys and considers list-writing and shopping to be therapeutic, I don’t dare go shopping without a list or with more cash than is needed.

       this is just a sample, so create the columns according to your shopping needs

Christmas is also a season of advertising; on radio, television, bill boards, hand bills/ flyers, etc., but don’t let these adverts make you feel inadequate or entice you to spend more. Choose to ignore the TV commercials, instead, watch your favorite Christmas flicks and listen to Christmas music, read interesting books(read ‘Skipping Christmas’ by John Grisham, I enjoyed it.) and stop collecting the sales flyers.

                  FAMILY-TIME EXPERIENCE

It is often said that “family is everything”, and many have experience this to be true, especially those who have one such as mine. There isn’t a better time to enjoy family than Christmas season. It is a time when joyful, loving and lasting memories are made. Spend a portion of the Christmas money for a holiday experience. Take your kids and love ones out to parks, museums, live shows or concerts, a visit to your village or choice tourist site and you would be surprise to know that they appreciate the outing even more than material gifts. I am yet to receive a material gift that can replace the joy I get from the time spent with love ones.

 

 

Mothers, cook a less expensive but delicious delicacy and have your family or love ones sit on a round table to eat, chat, laugh and enjoy the meal. Play Christmas music and have them sing along and dance.  You simply can’t replace family-time spent with your kids with piles of plastic toys made in China or even Aba.

 

 

 Let go of the pressure to spend all that money or the anxiety of not having enough and allow yourself the pleasure of enjoying what really matters; moments with family and love ones. This way, you will have a resulting low level of stress and a zero debt balance after Christmas.   

People, don’t make this Christmas, a season to spend money you don’t really have in order to buy things you don’t really need to impress people you don’t truly like.

Don’t make this Christmas about money and material things but a memorable celebration of life and family, and not forgetting the real reason for the season; JESUS CHRIST.

              Be inspired!

       -Aitee