Let’s Get Ready For A New Year

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on different areas of life. I have found that when I review my life in terms of categories, I have a better chance of making progress. I also really like to-do lists. Therefore, in today’s post, I have outlined four essential categories: family and friends, health, finance, and personal growth. Under each category, I have outlined a series of tasks that I believe will be helpful to me to address to get closer to a year full of joy. What categories of your life are important to you? My list may be beneficial to you or inspire you to consider areas that are working or areas for improvement and steps to bring your life greater joy.

Friends And Family

This year I am giving special consideration to my family members who need additional support this year. I also want to create stronger friendships. In support of this goal, I took the steps below. What steps would bring you closer to the people in your life?

• I took out a sheet of paper and folded it in half. On the left side of the paper, I made a list of the most important people (MIP) in my life. My MIP list includes my immediate family, parents, siblings, and nieces. I also have old friends and new friends on my list.
• On the right side of the piece of paper, I outline one thing I want to do with them this year.
• Keeping my MIP in mind, I identified all their birthdays and transferred them to this year’s calendar. Transfer birthdays from last year’s calendar to this year’s calendar of the MIP. Those whose birthdays I didn’t know, I called and asked. It was an excellent opportunity to connect. 
• Finally, I planned a timeline of when I will do the one thing I wrote with each of them this year. 

Health

It is essential to be consistent with my health through regular doctor’s visits. Last week, I took a few hours and got all my appointments scheduled.  My list of action items on the topic is below. What is on your list?

• I made a list of the preventative check-ins that are important. My list includes a primary care provider, a gynecologist, and radiology for a mammogram. 
• At this time, I also made it a point to schedule an eye appointment and reviewed the calendar for the date of my next dental check-up and cleaning.  
• In addition to preventative maintenance, I also have a list of specialists I see. My list is long and includes, urologist, an endocrinologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat), a GI Gastro Intestinal Doctor, physical therapists. My healthcare provider has my chart, so as I scheduled my primary appointments, I also reviewed the last time I met with my specialty doctors and scheduled a necessary appointment. What is on your list? Is there something you want to address this year?
• I also have an elective procedure that I would like to do this year. It isn’t severe or required, but it will improve my quality of life. I have a high deductible plan, so I will decide later in the year as to whether to proceed. Still, in preparation, I made an appointment with my doctor to specifically discuss and understand my options. 

Personal Finance

My finances have an impact on my health and well-being. I don’t need to be rich to be happy, but I have experienced financial strain, and it takes a toll. This year, I will take a few steps to make things more comfortable. What steps would make a difference in your life?

• I am dreading it, but I have started to think about taxes. We use Turbo Tax and have an accountant I have used since 2004 who reviews our work. My husband has always taken the lead on this, and this year I want to participate and learn more about what it takes. I have set aside a few weekends in early February to work on this.  
• In January, I plan to review last year’s budget. We use Quicken to track our finances. Large items in the budget include the house payment, childcare and tuition, and insurance. Those will likely stay the same, but I am looking for areas where expenses can be reduced this year. My current ideas are entertainment, vacations, kids’ activities, and eating out. I am hopeful small changes will get me closer to my financial goals.
• My financial goals are top of mind for me right now. In 2022, my goals include eliminating some debt, increasing my retirement savings, and I need to plan for a new car in 2024. All these items bring me some level of anxiety, and to reduce that over the next year, I will need an achievable plan. This will be a part of my budget work in January.

Personal Growth

Personal growth can cover a wide range. This year I am interested in increasing physical activity, tidying up my home, and improving my spirituality and cooking skills. I outlined my list below. What is on your list?

• I need more movement in my life. I am going to focus on exercise that makes me happy. I want to continue dancing Xabeat (think 90’s step without the step). I also want to ski and ice skate more, and this year I want to learn pickleball. 
• I have been holding on to things in my home that are dragging me down. I will re-read a few books and take some action to reduce my clutter. The resources I will turn to include: Lightly by Francine Jay and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
• I want my spirituality to feel less like a duty and more of a faithful routine. I want to have a daily inspirational reading in the morning and the evening, and I want to add in meditation three days a week as an evening practice.
• I also have a new skill in the kitchen I am trying to master. I want to get more comfortable with the InstaPot that has sat in my cabinet for two years unused. 

The end of the year can be a time of hope and renewal. The areas I focused on in this article are essential to me. If I make friends and family, my health, finances, and personal growth a priority, 2022 will be a good year.

What are areas of life essential to you? I would love to hear about it. I encourage you to leave a comment to expand the list of things you can do to make your life more fulfilling in 2022.