The new year is an ideal time to take a step back and evaluate your personal situation. Many working adults decide to make changes to their lifestyles during the first few months of a fresh year. One of the most effective ways of approaching the challenge is to create a written plan for a specific project you’d like to tackle. The overall goal is to select something that truly appeals to your preferences, tastes, abilities, and long-term aims.
Some choose to pursue real estate investing as a side job. Others realize a lifelong desire to help others by starting a charitable organization or foundation. There are dozens of ways to assist the less fortunate, so these kinds of projects can take innumerable forms. For some, writing a book, studying martial arts, or becoming a mentor to a young person can all be transformative and enhance your quality of life. Consider the following suggestions to help get your imagination revved up and ready to initiate a unique project.
Start a Charitable Foundation
Luckily, you don’t have to be wealthy to create a charitable foundation. All it takes is a good cause, a detailed outline of the idea, and the willingness to file some paperwork with the state and federal government. There are fees and forms involved in the process, but they are not overwhelming. Consider working with at least two other people, which makes it much easier to establish your charity as a legal, tax-exempt entity. Likewise, get busy soliciting donations from like-minded people and local businesses who might be willing to contribute. Build the infrastructure of the organization, appoint officers, file all the paperwork, and use social media to get the word out. From that point, the main challenge is fundraising.
Use the BRRRR Technique for Real Estate Investing
For millions of working and retired adults, investing in real estate can be a worthwhile way to build a regular stream of income even when the stock market and national economy are performing poorly. What does the strange acronym, BRRRR, stand for? Here’s the answer: buy the property, rehabilitate, rent it out, refinance the loan, and repeat the process.
It’s not only highly popular among real estate enthusiasts because of the potential profits, but it comes with a relatively high level of financial risk as well. The good news is those who use the BRRRR method can employ several effective tactics to minimize risk and maximize gains on a given property. For experienced real estate investors, the right way to begin is to review a comprehensive BRRRR guide to decide whether the tactic should be part of their overall strategy.
Write a Book
Writing a book is a rather common goal for adults. There are several excellent online platforms that offer free templates that can help you get started. First, decide whether your creation will be fiction or non-fiction. Currently, the best-selling categories for first-time authors are self-help and detective fiction. But there’s no need to focus on sales potential if you just want to write what you love.
Consider fun topics like a collection of humorous stories, a book of themed poetry, your life story, or a short biography of a favorite historical figure. Use one of the major online bookselling sites to post and publicize the finished product. Note that a great number of independent authors have much more luck with their second books, so don’t stop after the initial effort. Aim to write between 500 and 1,000 words per day, consistently, until you are ready to begin the editing phase.
Learn a Martial Art
The martial arts, most of which originated in Asia, have long held an allure for adults who want to change their lives for the better. When it comes to choices, there’s something for every taste. Those who are averse to violence can study Japanese aikido, which sticks to self-defense and no offensive fighting. For older adults or those of slight build, Chinese wing chun is a style that was invented by an elderly woman. Practitioners learn to defend themselves against larger attackers.
For sheer fighting ability and offensive techniques, Japanese Shotokan karate is the preferred choice for many thousands of young and old martial arts enthusiasts all over the world. Other options include Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a wrestling-oriented form, krav maga, a life-saving version of self-defense created by the Israeli special army forces, kickboxing, judo, and others. Taking up martial arts is also a stealthy way of learning meditation. That’s because many forms, particularly wing chun, include specialized types of meditative preparation for the physical practices involved in the art.
