Hello everyone! Welcome / welcome back :)
It’s the first week of 2023!!!
This week is going to be a little different. I’ll be talking about my goals for the future.
I usually don’t make new year’s resolutions but I’m going to give it a try for 2023. I’m not just going to make a simple list, but instead, think about the future, five years from now, and create an action plan to achieve those goals.
Where do I see myself in five years?
My ultimate goal in life would just to be truly happy and content with my life.
What I personally think will contribute to this:
Having a positive mindset
Being surrounded by good people (family and true friends)
Being a confident and mentally strong person
Having a stable income
Being self-sufficient and independent
Having time for hobbies
Having an active mind and body
How I’m going to reach those goals
1. Having a positive mindset
I’d say having a positive mindset is one of, if not the most important thing in life. I tend to focus on the negative but I’m working on it :)
Being positive just makes us happier overall. When we’re not clouded by negative emotions, we’ll have better health, have more friends (the good kind), be more productive etc.
Action: Every time I’m upset I’m going to tell myself: No matter how you’re feeling, time will still go on and the sun will set and rise for another day. So look on the bright side, don’t waste your time and energy on being negative, it won’t do anything.
2. Being surrounded by good people (family and true friends)
All humans need social interaction.
To be completely honest, I have a hard time making friends. It takes me awhile to open up and most people don’t wait and stick around that long. I basically only have 3 friends I can count on and a ton of acquaintances.
Action: I’m making it a point to be more outgoing and not closed-off. I’m going to say hi to people in my classes, go to events, maybe even join a club. Most importantly, invest into all the relationships I have by actively reaching out to the friends / acquaintances I already have.
3. Being a confident and mentally strong person
I am not very confident right now. I tend to overthink and let other people affect me quite a lot. This isn’t good.
Action: Acting like a confident person. Thinking of how the confident version of me would act, and act like that. Fake it til you make it :)
4. Having a stable income
In five years, I would have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in actuarial studies (it’s a three year degree programme) and would be working or studying for my masters / PhD (not sure which one I’ll go for yet).
To get a good actuarial job, or continue with my studies, I’d have to get good grades and for an actuarial job, passing a lot of professional papers too.
Action: Study hard. I’ve actually been quite lazy with my studies all my life but I am improving bit by bit. I’m still working on my study plan so I’ll talk about it in another newsletter.
I also want to get a job or an internship during my semester breaks to both earn some extra money and add to my résumé.
5. Being self-sufficient and independent
In five years, I’ll be a full-on adult. To me, being an adult means being self-sufficient and independent, being able to handle things on my own and not needing to rely on others. The four points above relate to this too.
Action: I’ll be living away from home for the first time ever next year. It’s scary but I know I’m going to learn a lot from it. I’ll be taking care of everything myself.
6. Having time for hobbies
In my opinion, a job is a job. Of course, it shouldn’t be something we despise since we spend most of our lives working, but our job doesn’t have to be our passion. Its main purpose is to provide income so we can live. Liking the job is a bonus.
So, I want to have time for the things I actually enjoy like watching movies, reading, spending time with family and friends, writing this newsletter etc.
Action: I’m going to practice setting boundaries and saying “no”. This will help in the long run to keep my work life and personal life separate. It also helps in improving my confidence.
7. Having an active mind and body
Mental and physical fitness is very important. Being fit and healthy increases your life expectancy and lowers yours chances of getting ill.
Action: I’m going to start reading the news, one article a day (an easy task to get me started). I’m also going to walk more. If I can walk to my destination, I’ll walk.
I think it’ll be fun coming back to this at the end of 2023 and 2027. At the end of 2023 to see if I stuck to these resolutions, and at the end of 2027 to see if I achieved these goals, am still working on them or maybe even living a completely different life compared to what I was expecting.
That’s all for this week, let’s make 2023 the best year we’ve ever had!
- Grace :)
I post weekly updates every Saturday. I’ll be talking all about my week and self-improvement journey. Stay tuned!
Check out last week’s newsletter here