Just like that 2018 came and went. Happy New Year! If you are like most Nigerians living in Nigeria, you must have spent New Year’s Eve at a religious center or at a rave or both. 2018 was a mixed feelings kind of year for me and if your year was anything like mine, I am sure like me, you are glad it is all behind.
This past year taught me a number of lessons and I know I cannot afford to miss it this year. You see, in 2018 I had this same excitement as I have now, in fact, I was optimistic. I had a dream of what I wanted out of the year and I was so sure it was going to come to me. As a ‘Woke Gurl’, I knew I had to have my New Year resolutions clearly highlighted.
Some months before the end of 2017, I had attended this seminar where one of the speakers gave a highly motivational speech on exploring our potentials, challenging us to make a list of what we resolve to do or stop doing in 2018. While I had a long list of changes I needed to make in my life, I took out time to pen down the five most important things to me at that time; reduce the time I spend on social media, gain a new skill, volunteer for a charity organization, cut down my spending and meet my savings target for my dream car. My New Year resolutions were in place, I was ready to live 2018 to the fullest!
I was so excited, with these five things in mind I started the year knowing that I had my head in the right place. But you see, sometimes life comes at you fast and reality can turn out to be far from your dreams. By July, I realized that I had attended over twenty-five wedding parties and I had purchased aso-ebi fabrics for all of them. It was even so bad that one Saturday saw me wearing two different aso-ebis because I just could not turn down the requests from two of my childhood friends who happened to be wedding on the same day.
It was then I realized that I had not been wise in my planning. I had not done a good job of cutting down on my spending giving the huge amount of money that went into buying those fabrics and paying additional services for tailoring.
Apart from that, how was I supposed to meet my savings target for my dream car after I had spent almost all of my income on aso-ebi? Seeing that I was now so sure my New Year resolutions were never going to come to fruition, I became disappointed. What was the essence of having New Year resolutions if I could not fulfil them? For someone who knew what the year was going to bring, I had definitely made bad choices.
So, I went back to the drawing board and took out time during the end of 2018 to strategize for my 2019. I did my research on how to make things work for me especially in my finances and I have decided that New Year resolutions are not for me.
This year, instead of declaring a resolution, I am simply taking actionable steps and committing to my goals personally. Yes, action over everything! This year, taking charge of my finances and buying my dream car will no longer be unattainable.
One of the steps I have taken is to set up a Savings Plan with Old Mutual, an international insurance company in Nigeria. I have seen how my bestie did it with this insurer, I hear they have over 150 years of experience to share. I called their office to open my savings account which offers me a simple and flexible way to build up my funds for my future financial goals. Now that I have started taking action from January, I can definitely rest easy and enjoy what the year brings.
New resolutions mean nothing without taking the first step and commitment. Saving takes discipline, let us help you. Visit our website www.oldmutual.com.ng or call +234 1 271 9393.