Make sure you set goals for 2023 

It is that time of the year make new year resolutions and goal setting.

For those working with organisations, you are probably more familiar with this kind of planning at the beginning of each financial year. You set goals and action plans that you often must revisit and review with your supervisor through the course of the year. This is no different from planning for yourself as an individual or even a family.

It is best to start the process with a ‘pause, reflect and act’ kind of exercise whereby as an individual, you take time to evaluate your past achievements before making decisions about what to do next. For instance, you may have achieved your weight management goal in 2022 but your saving culture is still deficient.

The time to do a candid reflection of what went well and what didn’t go as planned is now. Here is a suggestion of more goals to include on your resolution list in case they didn’t.

GROW YOUR FAITH IN GOD

Bring all your plans before God. Seek his guidance and ask him to bless them. This will not only offer you a sense of purpose in your life but also the courage to move on even when things are difficult, reminding you that there is nothing to fear whatsoever.

BETTER PHYSICAL HEALTH

Attained physical health goals eventually lead to a healthier lifestyle, which translates into lowered health risks, longer life, among others. You only have one body – give it a treat by including a health goal on your priority list in 2023.

BE KIND

Of late, my five-year-old son has been calling me out on how unkind I am after reprimanding him. This has got me thinking about how to correct him and his siblings without leaving them with feelings of bitterness. This is still work in progress that is not only stopping with disciplining of children but outward to how I interact with others.

Through my son’s words I am learning more about how kindness affects not only you but also those around you. There are several ways you can be kind to yourself – including smiling to yourself, being grateful for who you are every day and being kinder to others by being polite or ignoring aggressive drivers on the roads, (especially Kampala roads).

For the first time, I am working on being more intentional about my acts of kindness through the year and thinking of the first act. Will you jump on the kindness bandwagon with me in 2023?

SELF CARE

Lately, most people live very busy lives with several responsibilities, including having a number of people under their care. With this kind of lifestyle, it’s not uncommon to forget about themselves. Remember, the better you feel about yourself, the better you will be in all aspects of your life. Just like they say, you cannot give what you don’t have.

I always tell people that self-care is about self-love and just like the different love languages, self-care is different for everyone. Aim to get into your routine a few things that you love to do – usually not a lot of time commitment is involved, and the cost is negligible if any.

I love taking pictures with my phone; it could be a nature walk for you, or a night out with friends. Effects of stress are real; make it an effort to have some ‘me time’ in 2023.

FINANCIAL STABILITY

This starts with defining what that looks like for you and then working towards it. Whether it means paying all your bills on time, meeting the needs of those under your care, saving a certain amount of money or even affording daily meals.

Whatever financial stability looks like for you, get to it and then devise a plan to make it happen. Financial stability is not about being rich like most people think. It is achievable for everyone when deliberate financial planning efforts are invested.

Some of the benefits include security, peace of mind, ability to meet your financial goals, etc. It is quite a journey and initiating the first steps in 2023 would be commendable.

“Whatever your hopes for yourself, a fantastic place to start your new year is with a dose of resolutions”- Unknown.

Happy 2023!

The author is a midwife and Global Health Advocate