by Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa

It’s hard to believe that we are already in the second month of 2018! Most of us have made earnest promises to better ourselves during this coming year. Some resort to making New Year’s resolutions, others just continue with their routines as in the past. Some are very disciplined by nature, others like me have to be very intentional about discipline.

A fellow Lioness, Yolanda Fills, who is also my best friend, shared with me a powerful habit she taught herself from a young age. She does not wait for January to do her planning and goal-setting - her New Year starts on her birthday which is in early December. She has been doing this since she was nine. She can testify to countless goals that have manifested since she started this habit…the habit of goal-setting.

When she told me this about four years ago, I shared it with my husband, and we immediately started the habit with our two daughters. We don’t do it on our birthdays, since each of us have our birthdays in the four seasons. So we do it in January each year.

In fact, about nine years ago during the holidays, my hubby and I started our own habit that has had a profound impact on our lives. We were flat-broke and rented a caravan for a few days to get away. On New Year’s Eve, while everyone was out having a good time, we sat around a fire at the beach and reflected over the year that was past. We spoke about all the ups and downs (more downs) and spoke about our plans for the New Year. We continued chatting well into the hours of the morning after midnight. It was so refreshing and liberating to reflect, and then plan for the upcoming year.

Since then, without fail, we have been doing this. We have had to turn down many offers for wonderful New Year’s Eve parties over the years, but we value this exercise and deem it as crucial to our growth and well-being. For the last three years, our venue has been Table Mountain in Cape Town. We always try and make our venues dramatic and inspirational. We pack a picnic basket and our camp chairs and get a nice parking spot early evening. I am usually armed with my diary, and hubby his phone (he prefers keeping an electronic diary). This is essential to remind us of what happened during the year, month-by-month. It is extremely refreshing and thought-provoking to reflect over the year in this manner. At midnight, the V & A Waterfront puts up a spectacular fireworks display in the distance which adds to the drama.

This year was no different…except it started raining! And we couldn’t complete our ritual! We ended up being in bed by 23h55! It was actually quite funny as we were yawning all the way back home! Anyway, the point is, we still value this tradition. It helps us get closure over the events of the old year, and celebrate the victories also. And it gives back valuable headspace for new ideas and fresh inspiration.

Whatever your approach regarding planning for the New Year…make it interesting and practical for yourself. Reflecting is a good habit to adopt…it gives you perspective. Also realise the importance of goal-setting as this gives structure and direction to your life and business!

Lizl Naude is the founder of Lilly Loompa in South Africa, a company that creates beautiful and usable furniture pieces made with recycled material. Lilly Loompa's “Rubbish Range” is the result of Lizl's craving to deliver pieces that are completely "green". Lizl is a self taught designer and started designing and making furniture because she couldn’t afford to buy new pieces to furnish her home. She started to scout and source for budget material and quickly realised that most people discard of very usable materials. This led to her building and designing beautiful furniture items that she used in her home.