The end of year break is typically a time where we reflect upon the year that just past. We may reflect upon our relationships, health, occupation, accommodation, holidays and finances. Many people will reflect upon the past year and then simply hope for a better year ahead. I was intrigued when reading comments on social media to read comments like: “good riddance to 2015, glad 2015 is over bring on 2016 or hoping for a better New Year”.

What changes will these people make for the New Year! Do you leave your happiness and success to simply working hard and chance? Does it make sense to prepare a strategic plan for various aspects of your life in 2016 and beyond? If you are happy with how everything in your life is going then perhaps only small changes are required but for the vast majority I suspect there are areas that we would like to change or improve.

Let’s take a look at one area – Holidays: How many holidays will you have this year? Where you are planning to go? How much will it will cost? How you will save for it?
It is this level of thinking and careful planning that is likely to help you achieve your holiday goals in 2016 and beyond.

Let’s take a look at health – Are you happy with your current level of health? If not, what can you do to improve it? Do you smoke? Do you drink too much alcohol? Are you exercising? Is your regular diet satisfactory? Could you make changes in any of these areas to make a difference and achieve your health or fitness goal in 2016 and beyond?

Your financial goals are no different. What is your current financial position now? Where do you want to be at the end of the year, 5 years, 10 years …20 years? How are you going to get there? What is your income? What is your expenditure? What savings can you create? What are your assets? What are your liabilities? What tax deductions do you have? How can you use your current resources to increase your net wealth and ultimately create an income stream to fund the lifestyle you would like now and in retirement?

If you want things to improve in your life do not leave it to chance, planning will give you a much better chance of achieving your goals. If you do not know how to plan there are people and online resources to help you. If you haven’t already, get your affairs in order now to ensure you are ready to harness the next opportunity that comes your way in 2016!