SPOILER ALERT! New Year, New burden!

The skies were painted with all sorts of colors as if a competition -- some people kept their fireworks also known as "crickets" for the final show.

Families were screaming out loud as the loud bomb-like crackers circulated the air.

People were shouting hysterically welcoming in the new year, I went through the motions too -- well my crickets were not the loudest, neither were they the fanciest but we did send out a few of them.

It was at this time that I caught myself thinking long and hard about what was happening. It was the 1st day of 2019. It was a fresh start, closure -- a new beginning. A fresh slate on which to scribble the new episodes of my life.

One of the biggest questions was: "What are you going to do with this year?"

This is the kind of question that makes one sober one up even in the moment of such excitement.

It was a time of mixed feelings, that time when you begin to reflect on some things in your life -- you know some people that are successful who seem to make and follow through with their vision. Their results are evident.

You want to be like them. The life they live, the friends they have and their confident attitude towards life. -- everything about them attracts you.

What are they doing differently You ask yourself?

After making several resolutions and never following through you have all sorts of doubts about this. "It may work for others but not for me", you say. We are all built differently and as a result, we respond to different concepts to progress and this is not one of them.

This maybe your current philosophy.

You are very doubtful about how to approach this which leads to confusion.

Okay let's be honest, we don't know much about setting goals, following through -- managing expectations, navigating barriers. Because if we did, we would have achieved an awful lot  and wouldn't be where we are right now in our lives

Have you ever tried something and once it doesn't work this makes you go: -- I knew it? Your secret fears get reinforced which makes you not want to try again next time?

Do you know someone like this?

There is a light at the end of this TUNNEL -- well if you do not give up on your vision you may just need to tweak it a little bit and all things will work out.

WHAT IS REALLY MISSING?

Not doing anything? What is the cost of that? What is the cost of not reaching my potential? What does it all mean?

YOU ARE STUCK!

When you have a vision and goals to walk towards -- you can't help but catch yourself many times wondering how you can make things better. This is not the first time this has happened and I surely know it is not the last either.

WHAT IF YOU COULD START AND FINISH EVERYTHING YOU STARTED?

WHAT IF YOU COULD MEET ALL YOUR GOALS AND LIVE A CONFIDENT LIFE?

There was a time when I was in high school, I had a very hard time with my studies. When I tell people they fail to believe the story -- just because of the kind of choices I am making these days. I used to dread going for tests, and I developed a strong dislike for those teachers whose subjects I did not do well in.

I blamed the teachers for my "misfortune". Of course, it was their fault I said.

I remember I used to have panic attacks at the thought of sitting through an examination. I had low confidence, low esteem. I walked among the tall but I was a dwarf.

What makes this story interesting is the mistake that I used to make every time I got my results sheet -- I would get so mad, tear up the corrections paper without looking through the mistakes I had made.

In my feats of anger, I made a very major mistake in my life.

I REFUSED TO LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.

This is something that people may take for granted but it is very paramount.

When the new year comes, people talk about resolutions and new beginnings. This is easy to talk about.

When you think about what it takes to get anything started to where it is really gained some momentum, you may even develop some fears to beginning anything.

It is no wonder many don't make it.

When you have so many unfinished projects that you start each year -- you can get overwhelmed by all you have to catch up on.

It is an avalanche!

You would have a better chance of pushing one project for multiple years -- in this case, it is a matter of making things better.

I would like to share some pointers on what could be a new way of thinking -- these are not Ph.D. level new researched methods.

THESE ARE EVERYDAY THINGS YOU CAN BEGIN TO PRACTICE RIGHT NOW.

Failure is your friend: you know all those projects where you failed to finish but you had got some real experience? Try to revive those, why?

It's easier to continue something you had already been working on than starting all over. All it takes is changing some few things and you will be moving towards your goal.

Do one thing at a time: there was a time I felt like if I did so many things I was going to be successful. I subscribed for many online courses but managed to finish 2 certificates in 2018. This year I am going to focus on one thing at a time, try my best to get that thing finished before I move forward.

Make new friends: it is not a joke, "birds of the same feather flock together". Your friends make or break you -- if you really care for your future as much as you think you do then you will lose people who are holding you back.

Read a book: it is amazing for me when I meet someone who is bold enough to declare that they can't read.

It can only tell me such people have a limited perception of what is and what could be.

If you are not reading you may be stuck in a bubble when you could easily reach your destination by just turning a few pages. Pick a small book first and move onward to bigger ones.

Build new habits and lose bad ones: it takes 21 days for something to be a part of you, pick new habits like journaling and planning ahead of time this will help you save so much time.

Start by implementing these few steps over time -- you will be amazed at where you will be after some time.

It is these simple things that build the best systems and will also help you achieve the dreams you want to.

Take a minute, hit reply and tell me what you like about this article, or what you don't like. Heck, hit reply and share your insight. I read all your replies.