How to End the Year STRONG!
Congratulations! We have all made it to October and hopefully this year has been a smooth ride. We are under the 90 day mark towards ending the year. Typically this is the time of year I have the most anxiety, excitement, and the feeling of wanting to curl up in bed and stay there until May. Now is the time to start planning for December and starting the new year in January. It’s the busiest time of the year and we might get sidetracked from life a bit as we maneuver through the cold holiday season.
The last few weeks I have been thinking about how I can finish this year strong. With the holidays nearing I need to stay on point. I am positive you are thinking the same way.
Next month Thanksgiving will be here and I love to eat. Some of my favorite dishes are baked macaroni and cheese and sweet potato pie. Since August I have been shifting to a healthier lifestyle and I am committed to remaining that way through the holidays. I lost 10 pounds because of my efforts and I am really proud of this. I never cook for thanksgiving, but I love showing up at family dinner only to overeat and take leftovers home. This year I am going to cook a few healthier options as alternatives and control myself when my favorite dishes are fresh out of the oven. This is the season many of us pack on a few pounds, so being mindful of our food intake wont have us running to the gym as soon as we scream Happy New Year!
It is so easy to overspend on gifts for others and treats for ourselves. I am practicing discipline with my finances. If you are like me you promise to pay off your credit card bills the very next month and get back on track. That almost never happens. It would be tax time when I finally caught back up. This year I am not going all out and I am sticking to a strict budget. Starting this month I am creating a list of all the people I want to buy gifts for. My list will be very small and mostly include my nieces and nephews. I am creating a spending allowance and adding it to my budget. Honestly, this year I am gearing towards giving handmade or creative gifts to the adults in my life. Reducing our spending over the holidays will save us the financial headache and heartache in 2019. We do not want to start off the new year in debt and potentially set ourselves back financially. Try to be mindful when you are making outrageous gift requests. Let people know your intentions and goals for the holidays.
Do not forget to take some time to heavily reflect on this past year. We want to write down our accomplishments and the goals we did not achieve. We should pat ourselves on the back for making it to this point and express gratitude in looking toward the next few months.
Let’s end this year positively and powerfully.
XOXO