We are starting this new year on a note that doesn’t feel very hopeful. Everything feels to be in short supply: electricity, money, time, opportunities, kindness. But we want to challenge you to make 2024 the year of MORE.
Here at Bayport, we have decided to look at 2024 through the lens of MORE. As a business, we want to partner with more employers to help more South Africans become more financially secure. We want to do more with our existing products, processes and people, and find ways to create more where necessary. We will also do more to protect our customers from over-indebtedness and from criminal activities such as fraud and scams.
But what does the lens of MORE mean for us as ordinary people? Here are some ways in which we invite you to travel through 2020MORE with us.
What can be MORE for you?
Look at your world with more appreciation. It is so easy to focus on what we don’t have and while your struggle is real, it is also true that you have more than many other people. Try, for just a few minutes every day, to appreciate your life instead of seeing all the ways in which it is not perfect.
Make more of the resources you have. For example, participate in the wellness programme at work – you get it for free and it could make a big difference to your life. Optimise your time in the kitchen by, for instance, cooking a bigger stew and freezing the leftovers for a day when you won’t have time to cook (that is also making more of the electricity or the gas you are using). Use some of the time you spend with friends to talk about things that energise you, instead of only comparing notes on the things that make life tough.
Get your money to do more for you. Put some effort into your budgeting and expense tracking so that more of your money can go towards achieving your goals and making your dreams come true. Find a savings account that pays better interest on longer term savings and start investing a small amount every month. By just spending your money differently, you can get much more value out of it.
Learn more. No, we don’t mean enrol for a degree (but if that is your goal for 2024 – go for it!), we simply mean learn more about topics that interest you or get new skills that will allow you to do different things. Educate yourself about financial matters so your money can work harder for you.
Sharpen your gardening skills. Learn a different language. Ask your mom to teach you how to make that special dish you love so much. When you take an interest in the world and engage with it, wonderful things can happen.
Ask more questions. When you approach life with curiosity it becomes a far more interesting place.
Most of us are quick to judge and make up our minds about people, events and things. This year, try to find out more before you decide. You’ll be surprised and delighted at what you discover, and might end up having many more conversations than confrontations.
These are just a few thoughts to get you started. Are you ready to do more and be more in 2020MORE?
