It’s been approximately 11 to 12 days [depending on the part of the world you are in] since we ushered and welcomed in the new year. Some of us had a successful year 2017 while others had it tough and rough. For some of us, the year 2018 has come with new experiences and great opportunities  where as  some are still in the same situation as last year. This is not about torturing your mind or beating yourself up for the things you didn’t archive or why you failed miserably at a number of things. However, as we live through this new year whichever state,situation or condition you are in, wherever you are ; whether in Asia,Europe, Africa ,Northern America,Southern America,Australia,Antarctica or  the Arctic circle(do people live there?) , there are a number of important things you need to reflect on. I know you have already read and seen a lot of articles ,writings and posts on new year resolutions plus the things to do and not to do this year. In this post i came up with the main useful things you should reflect on in order to make the year 2018 work for you, make your life and that of others much more interesting, also things to help you learn from and correct any setbacks you’ve had last year. First of all, you need to divide your life into as many sections/sectors as you like. Allow me to break it down one by one for you with the following few guidelines. 

1. RELATIONSHIPS 

Relationships are a part of our social makeup.It’s good to remember and always keep in mind that it goes beyond raising your own children to having a partner. How we relate and create a rapport with everyone is really important to us as humans. As you may all know, no one is an island and no man will ever stand all alone by himself. At-least not for so long. At some point you will need somebody to help you scratch and scrub your back. You should be able to ask yourself the following questions: 

• Have you been staying in touch with your parents and siblings? 

If you have been in touch that's good. If for some reason you haven’t been in touch, try as much as possible to always look for your dad,mum and siblings. Call them more often and find out how they are doing. Visit them from time to time if necessary. 

•   Can you start making more time for family?

 A good parent is one who creates and will always find time to spend with family whether he/she has the busiest job in the entire world. By doing this you help build a firm strong  closely growing family. 

•   How can you be a better brother/sister,son/daughter and friend? 

You should ask yourself whether you’ve been helpful and resourceful to your siblings,friends and parents.And if you can’t find the answer,try to better yourself.You can even ask any of them if at all you have been a better person.

•  What values have your friends added and continue to add to your life? 

If you have friends who have helped you transform,add value to your life and friends who have helped you in times of need you are in a better place. If your friends haven’t had any relevant or useful impact on your life, you should rethink and consider losing and dropping some of the so called friends. I know it’s harsh but that's how to do it. 

•  Have you added any value to your friends and do you plan to?

 One should also be able to add value and be useful to their own friends. If you  haven’t, take a step back and think of how you are going to positively impact the lives of your friends. 

•  Should you change how you relate with people? 

Are you arrogant, aggressive or rude towards people or are you kind , polite and respect others that are around you? As i said earlier, how we relate and interact with people; whether a stranger or someone you know is significant. Always be careful not to cross the line,intimidate or annoy people around you. Cyber-bullying should also be discouraged.

•  ·Should you interact with more people and add your friend’s list? 

Luckily in this 21st century ,its very easy to find and interact with new people. Platforms like Steemit, Facebook and Twitter have completely revolutionized how we make new friends. With just a simple click,you get access to thousands of friends. You can make new friends both locally and globally. 

Now that you’ve asked and found the answers on your relationship status, it is important to grasp and understand the values your relationships adds to or subtracts from your life. If you’ve been in a violent and abusive relationship with family or friends, try finding a way to change it. If you find it hard to change by yourself,seek guidance and counseling from a professional. 

2. CAREER

 A successful career is every-bodies dream. It’s never too late to change your mind. Again,go ahead and ask yourself even more questions: 

• Is this really working for me? You might be either enjoying what you do or at some point it might be so boring.If what you do isn’t working out for you or is kind of stressing to you, just quit the job and find something that you will have fun and enjoy doing. 
• Can i do something else way better? If you feel you have an un-wanting interest towards something else, don’t hesitate to go for it .More so when its something you feel you are gifted in. Follow your passions and your true dreams. 
• Is there need to quit my job or should i hold   a little bit longer? Strategizing is really important. You need to have a concrete plan before you decide on leaving your job.That way you will avoid hard hustles trying to find another new job.         
•  Is what you are doing or what you plan to do earning you cash? You might find yourself doing a job that doesn’t really pay well. As you do such a job, try looking for other new job opportunities that can pay you well enough to sustain yourself and your family.   Don’t be scared to press different career buttons.

If you are younger like me, it’s an added advantage since you still have more time to explore. Generally, if your work makes you happy,work twice as hard to be even more happier and more successful.

 3. FINANCE 

As you read this,i am quite certain you want or you already have financial freedom right? That is why we are all on Steemit. Simply because “Money Talks”. Personally,i can’t really wait to be a millionaire. I dream and think of it every single day and night. It’s not easy but i am positive i will make it. I know some of you are already wrecking in lots of cash. Well congratulations! You’ve made it. I also hope and pray that someday Steemit will get to pay me up. Since this is not all about me but both me and you, when it comes to  finances, you need to ask yourself the following:  

•  Did you/do you have financial goals? Think of where you want to be by the end of the year. Create your main financial goal /goals and make sure you archive them. This will also help you have financial discipline.
•  How can you increase more income? If you have one job and you can still find another to work part-time,go for it. That way it will help you earn more income. Just make sure to balance between the two jobs. They can even be more than two jobs.Do not overwork yourself though. 
• How can I build an investment portfolio? Try as much to finding ways on how to build an investment portfolio while expanding your knowledge and engagement in investments. I am not a financial adviser or expert but i think this will add value to your investment/business plans. 
•  How can your savings help you? If you have been saving and you got some cash in your savings bank account,don’t let it lay there doing nothing. Put it to work so that it brings in more and more money. Invest in a business that you think will earn you profit. You can choose to invest in things like entertainment,fashion, crypto-currency and many more depending on what you want. Just make sure you put that money to work for you as you explore your investment options.   

4. EDUCATION 

Are you already satisfied with your level of education? Is it just papers you want or are you seeking for an opportunity to learn? Well no matter what qualifications you have, education has no limit.If its all about having papers, with the growing competition in the job market this century, its hard to depend on one certificate or bachelor’s degree. Always look forward to adding on to the qualifications you have. If perhaps you are doing an International relations course as i am, try to also do a few more language courses. Find courses that are similarly close or relate to each other. If you already have a certificate to a course you did,upgrade it to a bachelor’s degree and keep on upgrading to masters until the level where you become a professor. If you have work, you can decide to take online classes.  You should also consider the following :

• What schools/school  to go to. 
•  Whether it’s necessary to go back to school. 
• Have you already attained the education level you want. 
• Where your interests in learning are. 
• Whether you can afford to pay the tuition fee. 

Alternatively, if you feel like school is wasting most of your time,you can drop out of school and start your own business/company as long as you know what you are doing. So many successful people did it and so you won’t be the first person to quit school in-order to chase your passions and success. 

5. TRAVEL 

Explore the world and expose yourself to new people and new places. Here, you get the opportunity to appreciate others and to learn lots of new things. You get to interact with new interesting cultures from food, clothing,wildlife to old traditions. Who knows! It might lead to you having a new home in the new place that you visit. Don’t sit there!! Go and explore this amazing universe. But if you can’t really afford it now, try and save up till you are able  to pay for the air tickets,hotel accommodation and other needed costs.    

 6. HOBBIES 

Always find time for your hobbies no matter how tight your work schedule is. After all life shouldn’t be that boring and serious. Try to do something that is not work related at-least once a week. That hobby can turn to work that pays you someday. For those wondering what hobby to choose,here is a small list to choose from: 

• Music -Listening to good music helps and soothes our minds and souls. Its a remedy that cures everyone including doctors. You might also be a singer, rapper and an instrumentalist who plays for a band. Enjoy yourself doing it.  
• Sports -Sports is essential in keeping our bodies fit and active. It can be football,basketball,swimming,gaming,skiing,tennis,baseball,cricket and many more. My personal favorite sports are football and basketball. 
• Fashion -If you are a fashion enthusiast /lover,  have your own fashion blog,create and start your own cloth designs,read fashion magazines to keep up with latest trends.Build your brand. 
• Reading and Writing -If you haven’t been that much of a reader,walk into a book store near you and purchase a book that you want.Reading helps challenge your preconceived notions of life which in turn opens up your mind. For writers,write as many stories, poems,articles as possible and publish them for other people to read.  
• Cooking -Don’t be afraid to try new recipes and methods. I know how to cook :). Do you? 
• Chatting- Interact with friends and family at home,work and school. You can also do it online on  Whats-app,Telegram,Twitter,Steemit chat,We-chat and Instagram or even Sms. There is alot of social platforms. ·
•  Photography- Go out there more often with your camera or phone and take pictures of the things that you like. Send the pictures to friends or post them for people to see.   

7. HEALTH 

Having good health is very significant and crucial. You don’t want to get sick and die anytime soon. In-order to have good health ,its important to note the following:

•  Check on the diet and food you eat. 
•  Have regular medical check up. 
•  Take the right prescriptions as directed.(for the sick) 
•  Always seek medical attention from a professional. 
•  Avoid too much abuse of alcohol and drugs. 
•  Regular simple exercising might also help. 
•  Avoid stress and thinking a lot.    

Remember health is wealth.

 8. MENTOR-SHIP

 

Start a mentor-ship programme where you can mentor adults or kids. Offer your time and input to change somebody else's life. Letting other people learn from you will help you learn a lot from them. Its also great to have someone looking up to you as their role model and mentor.  

 9. VOLUNTEERING 

Join an organization and offer your time and the skills you’ve acquired to give back to the community. You can offer small donations to charities, offer first aid in-case of  a tragedy/catastrophe or choose to clean the environment. Its all service to humanity.  

 10. CONVERSATION 

Converse with people from different backgrounds. Raise and tackle different critical topics and debates whether its scientific,political or religious. This will help you come up with answers and solutions to challenges facing the society.You will also get to open your mind to new philosophies and get a good comprehension of life realities. 

Those are some of the things to reflect on as you live through this year and the future. Feel free to add more to the list above. 

Finally we are at the bottom of the page guys!! 

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Thanks for taking your time to read this  

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