New Year’s resolutions for true wealth and more success

Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.  —Eric Zorn

Exciting New Year is upon us again. Like every Monday of each week, it reminds us about the endless possibilities of new beginnings. Forget about the past, let us grab the carabao by the horns and make our future better!

Here are my own New Year’s resolutions, which I hope will inspire others to do their own lists. I limited mine to only eight, so they’re easier to recall and hopefully attain. If you can tweet or Instagram or e-mail me more suggested resolutions to add to my list, please do because I always welcome unsolicited advice.

Write down your New Year’s resolutions. I will write down my list and post it on the wall or door of my bedroom as a daily reminder. This is not morbid, but write an imaginary obituary so that you can envision how you want the rest of your life to be.

Be healthier. Choose wisely what and how much you eat daily (more veggies!), exercise or do sports regularly, get more sleep, and don’t forget to visit the dentist and doctor at least once or twice a year even if you have no problems.

Personally, I will learn to swim and try to emulate the former Senate President Jovy Salonga, who used to swim at his natural hot-spring swimming pool in Pansol, Laguna, once a week for good health. I told my two accountants the reason I bought Salonga’s historic country house in Pansol this July was my plan to restore and lease it out as an events place and a private resort for wellness, seminars or retreats. That is all true, but one secret reason is for me to also force myself to physically rest there at least once a week!

Manage your time better. Learn how to say no, be more time-conscious and increase your overall personal efficiency. Time is a priceless resource.

Read more books. Lessen time on the tablets or smartphones or games like Candy Crush. Take more time to relax your eyes and the mind by reading more books. It is best to read at night before sleeping to induce better sleep, not open tablets or computers or smartphones at night because I read that scientifically, those digital lights will fool our bodies into thinking it’s still daytime.

Make more mistakes. Yes, this is not a typographical error. I will take more calculated risks. I tell the employees of my small businesses that they shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes, because the only people on earth who never make mistakes are those who do nothing and risk nothing.

Plant trees. An old Chinese proverb said that a person is complete if he or she has planted a tree, written a book and sired a son. I love planting trees, so in my realty business or building or renovating homes for resale, I always plant trees.

This new year, I will either buy nearby provincial land or lease land to plant many ipil-ipil trees … no, not for the environment but similar to Senator Loren Legarda’s green advocacy. Why? On Dec. 21, I bought the iconic Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City and its realty property, but asked the original family to be minority shareholders for the continuity of tradition and tastes. Established in 1939 as Quezon City’s first bakery and known for its pan de sal and pan de suelo, it has the oldest pugon or wood-fired oven, so I need to plant more trees to ensure firewood supplies!

Write a book. My editor and many friends have suggested that I write a book. Aside from a book of essays, I will aim for at least one novel, which my late educator mom suggested to me even when I was in grade school. Try also a children’s book and poetry book. I will aim for at least one good book.

Aspire for more than just financial wealth. This is the most important of all: Improve spirituality and my relationship with our Creator, start a family, and be closer to relatives. I shouldn’t forget that good overall health is true wealth. I will also try to donate more to others, especially for education, which is the greatest equalizer on earth and the best way to fight for social justice.

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Related to resolution No. 4: Thanks to Philippine STAR reader Sarah Woodruff of HarperCollins Publishers in Indiana, USA, for sending me The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman’s first book for adults since his #1 New York Times bestselling Anansi Boys. She also sent me the new book The Orphan Train with its powerful tale of resilience and second chances, a New York Times bestselling novel by Christina Baker Kline.

Related to resolution No. 5: The Newbery and Carnegie medal-winning author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theater and films Neil Gaiman said: “I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

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