Time really flies. I was still in London during this time last year and looking back at the resolutions I’ve set for 2008…it’s quite depressing. I didn’t achieve even 40% of them. My 2007 resolutions was very successful though (achieved 90% of them). Perhaps that’s the reason behind my 2008 failure since I’ve set a mountain too high for myself to climb?

Well, it’s not all that bad actually. I still managed to learn a few important lessons from this “failure” of mine. And looking ahead to 2009, I feel that a proper and thorough planning needs to be done. It’s going to be a tough year.

Here are some of the things which you might want to think about while setting your 2009 resolutions.

Family

Family plays an important role in our life. When was the last time you bring your family for a vacation? Or when was the last time you visit your parents? or even call them up? Try to set a few simple resolutions related to your family. Things like “Call dad & mum every night” can be achieved easily and does not require too much efforts from you. But the result can be quite significant. For me, being a good son and brother will always be one of my resolutions. Because when everything around me turns their backs on me, my family will always be there for me.

Finance

Financial planning is very important in 2009. Set up some realistic finance-related resolutions. It’s important to save up and avoid spending too much on your WANTs. Focus on what do you want to achieve with the amount of money you have now. Maybe resolutions such as “have 10k cash as emergency fund” will be helpful. But always try to be reasonable. One of my resolutions in 2008 was to have 100k cash…haha, I didn’t even have 20k!! Now you know why I failed my 2008 resolutions.

Career

How about your career? Do you think 2009 is a good year for you to seek promotion? or maybe a change in job scope? Think about your career path for 2009 and set the resolutions for that. Next year, more people will become jobless due to the recession so maybe, it’s good to have a backup plan as one of your resolutions too. Example, “venture into F&B industry by myself if I were asked to leave my current job” or “Update my CV twice every month in order to be ready to hit the job market soonest possible”.

Health

Are you feeling healthy? Have you done your medical checkup? Have you visited your dentist? Do you go to gym regularly? Ask yourselves these questions and start to form a healthier routine. Maybe you can try to set a health-related resolution which requires you to go to gym 3 times in a week, or a resolution which requires you to control your cholesterol intake.

Others

Do you have other things which you want to do in 2009? Maybe improve your relationship with your friends? or maybe keep in touch with your former schoolmates? Or start a personal project of yours like selling things on eBay? There are tonnes of things which you can think of and then convert them into your 2009 resolutions. Think about it. What are the things which truly matter to you?

Some of you might not believe in new year resolution but for me, they are quite important because they are the goals you’ve set for yourselves in the coming year. It helps you to stay focus and keep you on track with your goals. Also, helps you to achieve the things which matter most to you. Other things? You can think about those later.

But do remember not to go overboard with resolutions. Don’t set ridiculously difficult resolutions. I’ve made that mistake before and it’s pretty demotivating. Try to set realistic resolutions and maybe 1 or 2 ridiculous ones. And if there’s a resolution which you’ve been unable to achieve since many years ago…maybe it’s time to push yourselves a little more and work for it. Dragging a resolution for too long will make it worthless.

Hope it helps.