What a year 2017 has been! As with every year, much learning, growing, mistake-making, and achieving took place and I am so pleased to say that I have appreciated every single moment of this year – both good and bad. I learned that everybody that comes into your life (good or bad) has something to teach you, that with patience comes much reward, that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to, and that money is a renewable resource. That said, here is a glimpse into my career, money and lifestyle plans for 2018…

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Career

Be More Visible On LinkedIn

We all know how important it is to have a strong LinkedIn profile, but few of us, including myself, understand the importance of ensuring active visibility on the platform. To ensure that my profile is consistently viewed and that I’m at top of mind for all opportunities, I plan to establish myself as a thought leader on the platform: I shall post relevant articles frequently, ask and post topical status updates, share valuable information and post a few career-related blog posts too. The mission is not to inundate people’s timelines, but to ensure that you are visible enough that you remain top of mind when recruiters or companies wish to work with or hire you.

Talk about my work more

Whether I am waiting in a long queue, at the hair salon or simply out enjoying a recreational activity, I plan on finding a way to slip what I do career and business wise into the conversation somehow (and be very smart yet deliberate about it). This year I found that conversing with random strangers about my career and business would quite often lead to a surge in some form or other – be it having that same person contact TCC the following day/week asking about the CV service, or opening up another business opportunity – talking openly, proudly and frequently about your business opens you up to new opportunities and increases your brand profile exponentially. Word of mouth is still a powerful branding tool and I plan to utilize it more effectively in 2018.

Create a 12-month vision board

I have been creating vision boards since I was about 21 years old and I believe in them wholeheartedly. Usually, I create a vision board that has a general birds-eye view of where I want to be in the future in terms of career, business, money, lifestyle, travel and relationship-wise. I usually keep this vision board until however long I feel that it needs an update or my dreams have changed. This year, however, I have done something a little more different for 2018: create a vision board that is valid for 2018 alone inclusive of what I want to achieve solely WITHIN 2018. As opposed to having a birds-eye view of my life, I want this vision board to be applicable for 2018 alone and thus be very specific and action-orientated. I believe by taking this approach I will be more purpose-driven on a day-to-day basis knowing that I have no choice but to hold myself to achieving certain goals and targets within one year.

Money

Actively Trade & Invest Offshore

I am in the fortunate position of already possessing exchange traded fund portfolios such as the SATRIX and Unit Trust, while also purchasing foreign currency from time to time (I do this using an app called Shyft, which is a great app from Standard Bank that allows you to purchase and store currencies such as the US dollar, GB Pound and AUD Dollar) however I believe that there are better ways that I can hedge against the ever-fluctuating Rand. As a result, upon receipt of my bonus or any lump sum amount that I receive; I shall actively invest it in offshore markets such as Isle of Man, Jersey or the Bahamas (please don’t hesitate to let me know should you want TCC to have an article on how to invest offshore).

Give More

I find myself particularly affected by recent worldly events that have taken place and I truly wish to make a difference in the world, in whatever way I can. I have had a debit order that goes towards Doctors Without Borders – a non-profit organization that seeks to bring healthcare to countries in crisis – for about 4 years now, but I believe I can do much more. I thus wish to actively do more good with whatever money I make; be it offering to pay for an item of someone in the line of the grocery store who is clearly suffering or less-privileged, tithing more in my church, giving random donations or even asking my helper/domestic what more she needs help with financially over and above paying her monthly salary.

Reviewing my debit orders

I only go to one gym, so why should I pay for national membership? I watch a mere 5 channels on DSTV, Premium is not so necessary – and so I definitely intend on watching what comes off my bank account a lot more closely and re-directing that amount to a more worthy cause or having it go towards an emergency savings account!

Lifestyle

Water my own grass…more

If you are in the fortunate position of having a roof over your head, food to eat daily and water for hygiene then you are already better off than most of the world’s population. In 2018, I plan to take stock of all that I have and truly remain in my own lane, knowing that if I focus on driving my vehicle with great pride and stick to the journey/ path that I have laid out for myself, there really shouldn’t be any reason to force myself into another lane, or give way to comparison. I shall steer my vehicle, only looking to the side once in a while for my own personal safety.

Invest in Quality…

Quality friends, clothing, food and so and so forth. I want to live a quality life that I am proud of, decluttering and cleaning up whatever I don’t need. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean I wont give room to meeting new people (as I love making new friends) or not opening my mind up to new experiences, it just means I shall be selective and deliberate in how I live.

Mentor Others

I am particularly hard on myself and I don’t always believe that I am at the stage where I can share my “wisdom” as I am still a young woman who is constantly making mistakes and learning. However, life is not always about having all the answers and sometimes, just having lived your life to a particular point can be inspiring to others younger than you. Therefore, I plan on being forthcoming about what I have learned career and business wise to those who are students or have just entered the corporate world. After all, if you have experienced something a certain way and found a way to approach certain situations correctly, why not teach somebody else?

As I enter the last year of my 20s, I truly wish to live the best life and give the best of myself in all spheres. I hope that you will all come along with me on the journey and that together on this platform we may continue to educate one another. Thank you to every TCC reader for all the support in 2017 – and on that account, why not share what plans you have for yourself career, business, or lifestyle wise by commenting below…

 

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