'One question will help you achieve your financial goals in 2025'
Your New Year's Eve celebrations may seem a distant memory, and for many of us when we start a new year, we commit to some resolutions; goals that we'd like to accomplish in the following twelve months, things that are important to us, and will bring us happiness.
However, only a minority accomplish what they set out to achieve, why is this? In summary, it's our focus. There are deeper reasons why we are not focusing on what we want, but the overarching cause why we don't accomplish what we want in life is that we never actually make it a must, we leave it as a should.
This is not isolated to our resolutions at a new year; it can be extended to our life, we never decide how we want to live the rest of our lives. We've never been taught to take the time to decide what we want. Life can be busy and often we are like ships in the ocean, without a rudder, bobbing around and being directed by the wind.
Get the best deals and tips from Mirror Money
We can't control our environment; government policy, the cost of living, the Ukraine or Israel /Gaza/Iran crisis, but we can decide how we will react to these events and the meaning we will give them.
Our time on this planet is often far too short, if you're in your 50s you probably have less than 35 more New Years to celebrate, a sobering thought.
Your past does not equal your future. Why not make this year great, a year to reflect back and say I am glad I did, rather than I wish I had.
You can do this by answering this question: "How do you want to live the rest of your life?" It's a question I often ask my clients, and once I do, I shut up and allow them to really think what it is they want. For some, it's the simple things in life, others have great ambitions. It's not for me to decide what's right for you, it's your life to live on your terms, and I want to help you really live it.
Once you've answered the question, write your answer down in your diary, or smart phone notes and take some time to ensure this is what you really want, not what you think you should have.
For me, I often think I should grow my business and earn more money, but in reality, I love nothing more than helping others achieve financial freedom, and freedom from the worries of money, that's what truly brings me fulfilment.
When you're clear on what it is you want, write down the things you need to achieve in the next twelve months to move you closer towards your outcome. I believe that if you're not growing as an individual, you're not really living life, taking strides towards achieving your outcome will make you feel more confident, happier and fulfilled.
I work with clients who earn more than a million pounds a year in personal income, and those through my coaching, who may have no income, complete extremes of the economic scale. But what they both have in common is a nervous system that runs their decision making processes.
We are all looking to grow as individuals, make a difference in our own lives and the lives of other people.
We have less than twenty-six weeks until we'll be welcoming in 2026, make this year count and decide how you want to live the rest of your life.
For more money planning ideas please visit The Finance Geeks Podcast
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'One question will help you achieve your financial goals in 2025'
Multi award-winning Chartered Financial Planner, Certified Coach, author of The Money Plan, and Sunday Mirror columnist Your New Year's Eve celebrations may seem a distant memory, and for many of us when we start a new year, we commit to some resolutions; goals that we'd like to accomplish in the following twelve months, things that are important to us, and will bring us happiness. However, only a minority accomplish what they set out to achieve, why is this? In summary, it's our focus. There are deeper reasons why we are not focusing on what we want, but the overarching cause why we don't accomplish what we want in life is that we never actually make it a must, we leave it as a should. This is not isolated to our resolutions at a new year; it can be extended to our life, we never decide how we want to live the rest of our lives. We've never been taught to take the time to decide what we want. Life can be busy and often we are like ships in the ocean, without a rudder, bobbing around and being directed by the wind. Get the best deals and tips from Mirror Money We can't control our environment; government policy, the cost of living, the Ukraine or Israel /Gaza/Iran crisis, but we can decide how we will react to these events and the meaning we will give them. Our time on this planet is often far too short, if you're in your 50s you probably have less than 35 more New Years to celebrate, a sobering thought. Your past does not equal your future. Why not make this year great, a year to reflect back and say I am glad I did, rather than I wish I had. You can do this by answering this question: "How do you want to live the rest of your life?" It's a question I often ask my clients, and once I do, I shut up and allow them to really think what it is they want. For some, it's the simple things in life, others have great ambitions. It's not for me to decide what's right for you, it's your life to live on your terms, and I want to help you really live it. Once you've answered the question, write your answer down in your diary, or smart phone notes and take some time to ensure this is what you really want, not what you think you should have. For me, I often think I should grow my business and earn more money, but in reality, I love nothing more than helping others achieve financial freedom, and freedom from the worries of money, that's what truly brings me fulfilment. When you're clear on what it is you want, write down the things you need to achieve in the next twelve months to move you closer towards your outcome. I believe that if you're not growing as an individual, you're not really living life, taking strides towards achieving your outcome will make you feel more confident, happier and fulfilled. I work with clients who earn more than a million pounds a year in personal income, and those through my coaching, who may have no income, complete extremes of the economic scale. But what they both have in common is a nervous system that runs their decision making processes. We are all looking to grow as individuals, make a difference in our own lives and the lives of other people. We have less than twenty-six weeks until we'll be welcoming in 2026, make this year count and decide how you want to live the rest of your life. For more money planning ideas please visit The Finance Geeks Podcast
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
ASOS bans shoppers for making too many returns
ASOS hit the press this week with the news that it is shutting accounts of people who return too many items Online shopping has transformed the way we buy goods and services. But we are paying a heavy price for the convenience of having our shopping dropped off at the door? The online retailers have come to dominate the market, decimating the high street in the process. But now that they have taken over, they are starting to change the rules to their own advantage. Many retailers are beginning to charge for returning goods. While none of the major online shops is charging for each return, many have suggested they are going to do so, only to backtrack after much outrage in the press. Retailers make these announcements to "soften us up" – in effect scarring us with the prospect of charges that they aren't going to apply just yet, so we are more willing to accept "some" charges. And these are already occurring. ASOS hit the press this week with the news that it is shutting accounts of people who return too many items. This is off the back of the £3.95 charge the retailer has already introduced for people who are returning more goods than they would like. While ASOS has received lots of publicity around these rule changes, they are certainly not the only business that is charging and barring people. So what's going on here? And what can you do about it? Get the best deals and tips from Mirror Money WHATSAPP GROUP: Get money news and top deals straight to your phone by joining our Money WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Why is ASOS in the news? It's been reported in the press this week that some ASOS customers have received emails telling them that their accounts are being closed. This is because the shoppers have apparently breached the retailer's "fair use" policy. Retailers can reserve the right to ditch you if they feel that you are misusing their services. This might include returning items that you've ordered, photographed yourself in on Instagram or TikTok then sent back. There are a few isolated incidents where people have tried it on and had a night out in a nice frock with the tags on then shipped the clothes back! *Spoilers* retailers will know you've done this. But this is pretty rare. Looking at returns policies for the main online retailers, a cardinal sin is 'returning too many items'. ASOS hit the headlines last year when it began charging a £3.95 return fee per parcel when people returned an excessive number of items. It has now confirmed that a small number of customers have had their accounts closed for breaching this policy where there has been "unusual or suspicious activity". The ASOS website sets out their fair use policy in which it explains: For the small group of customers who consistently take actions that make providing them with free returns unsustainable, we deduct and retain £3.95 per returned parcel from their refund to help cover the cost of getting the goods back to us. When deciding whether to make this deduction from your future refunds, we apply an objective formula based on your shopping behaviour, taking into account whether you have made particularly excessive returns well beyond the average ASOS customer's returns, as well as the number and value of orders made by you. If you fall into this group, you will still enjoy free returns when: You keep £40 or more of any order and are a non-Premier customer; or You keep £15 or more of any order and are a Premier customer. Can retailers charge me or bar me if I return too many items? Yes they can. No business can be compelled to have you as a customer. As long as they are not discriminating against you because of a 'protected characteristic' then they are not breaking the law. The problem with these policies is they very rarely explain how many returns is too many - or how this is being quantified. For example, if you order an item of clothing in three sizes to see which one fits best, you'll regularly be returning two items even if you decide to keep one. If you do this once a month, that's a minimum of 24 returns over a year. Will that mark your card as a prolific returner? We simply don't know. There's no ombudsman or dispute resolution scheme for the entire retail industry, so the courts are the only option for people who feel they've been unfairly treated. In the vast majority of cases, this is not an effective solution for most people. What about damaged or faulty goods? Your legal rights remain the same when it comes to faulty or misrepresented goods that you buy online. You have 30 days to return these items and you are entitled to a full refund – including postage costs – under these circumstances. If the goods break or turn out to be faulty within the first six months, you must give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace the item, then if there's still a problem you can have a full refund. I've noticed that some online retailers are making it very difficult to return items within the six month timeframe – including one very big online retailer indeed. Don't give up if you need to send back faulty goods. The law is on your side. Most of the retailer's terms of use say they will not penalise you for returning broken or damaged goods. Is this fair? The reason why returning items and charging or barring people is so contentious is because we have to send back large numbers of clothes we buy online because we can't try them on before purchase. Online retailers created this 'try and return' market, killing off some of the leading high street retailers in the process. They were able to operate with vastly reduced costs because they didn't have the bills that come with running an actual shop in towns and cities across the land. So their only losses came from the cost of postage and returning outfits. So it seems deeply unfair that these retailers – who have profiteered at the expense of the high street shops – are now wanting to charge us for returns after driving countless businesses out of business. In addition, I'm infuriated that many online retailers don't even have customer service telephone lines for you to contact if something goes wrong. So I'd encourage anyone who is unhappy with these charges and lack of customer service to ditch the worst offenders and return to the high street. After all, you don't get charged for leaving items that don't fit in a changing room!
Time Out Dubai
23-06-2025
- Time Out Dubai
RTA announces major expansion for Burj Khalifa–Dubai Mall Metro Station
Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with Emaar Properties, announces huge plans for the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station. The revolutionary project proposes to expand the station's area by 65 per cent, with its hourly capacity jumping from 7250 to 12,320 passengers. Once complete, the station will serve up to 220,000 passengers per day. The plans aim to accommodate growing passenger demand, particularly around New Year's Eve, public holidays and major events. You might also like: 18 renamed Dubai Metro stations (and their true meanings explained) His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority explained the rationale behind the exciting expansion. 'The Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station is a key hub in the Dubai Metro network, thanks to its strategic location near Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, and Dubai Downtown. He continued, 'It serves as a convenient and efficient gateway for residents and visitors, particularly during large-scale events and holidays, particularly New Year's Eve, Eids, national events and public holidays.' 'This expansion project responds to sustained and rising demand for metro services, with projections extending to 2040. Passenger numbers during New Year's Eve exceed 110,000, and the station has recorded an average annual ridership growth of 7.5% over the past five years,' he stated. He said the station upgrade will boost both size and experience, increasing from 6,700 to 8,500 square metres and introducing a range of improvements for travellers. There'll be improved entrances and pedestrian bridges to make it easier to get in and out, bigger concourse and platform areas, more escalators and lifts, and separate gates for entry and exit to help things flow better. They're also adding more fare gates, expanding retail spaces, and improving connections with other transport options. Even the landscaping is getting a refresh. Things to do in Dubai Where to get the viral FIX chocolate in Dubai (or the best dupes if you can't) Get that sweet tooth satisfied 50 free things to do in Dubai You won't believe what you can do 47 brilliant family-friendly days out in the UAE For you and the little ones
