A career in marketing and market activation has taught me some insightful lessons about planning for a better life. Here are 5 habits I believe can make a difference:

1. Build goal-driven savings

Growing up, we were always told to save. But saving for the sake of saving can lead to ill-discipline and no clear intention, while purposeful saving can help keep the discipline if you are working towards an end goal – and even better, when you are doing it with a partner who can support and hold you accountable.

A saving scheme that I started with my former high-school friends was a stokvel for the December holidays in our preparation for heading away from the city. This really helped me stress less about January’s budget.

2. Start a healthy habit

A healthy body holds a healthy mind and I believe it is important to get into a positive physical state. For me it was important to choose the right time to exercise – when there isn’t any friction with my day-to-day activities – which is in the morning. The cliché ‘You win the morning, you win the day’ is rooted in the aim of getting the best version of yourself.

Psychological fitness is just as important as physical fitness

Start small with a walk, then proceed to running a kilometre, gradually increasing the distance, and soon enough you will find yourself running a marathon. However, it’s the coming into the habit that’s is important, not the time and distance.

A healthy habit breeds productivity. Running used to be tedious, but now it’s part of my daily routine. If I don’t get a run in the morning, it feels like I’ve missed breakfast; it’s second nature to me now and doesn’t feel tedious. Running has changed my life for the better because with each step and with each breath, I am able to tune into myself and tune out of the world.

3. Get vaccinated and get out

Digital fatigue, working from home and Covid-19 have had a huge impact on our mental and social well-being. Let’s get out there and experience our local tourist destinations: we have a beautiful, diverse and colourful country.

South Africa thrives on tourism, and we should be the first to support our local arts, culture and tourism. After receiving my vaccination certificate recently, I’ve made it a point to travel more, especially visiting our smaller towns where there is ample social-distancing space to experience our country.

4. Be mindful

We often service our cars but not our minds. As a young adult I’m always focused on my career, on what lessons I can learn to make myself a better person, and on my future. The real challenge, however, is being present in the moment and being mindful of what I am doing, my feelings, and my decisions I am where I am because of the sum total of decisions I’ve made in my life, and being present for those actions and decisions helps me grow. Psychological fitness is just as important as physical fitness.

5. Turn passion into profit

A big lesson Covid-19 taught me is that you can’t depend on a single source of income; South Africa’s increasing unemployment rate is testimony to this. So, turn your passion into profit. When you do this, though, you’ll find that you cannot compromise your anchor job and expect to enhance your profile and marketability as an individual.

Multiple streams of income generally open doors to other streams of income. When your passion is a source of income, your work won’t feel tedious, and it will alleviate financial pressures when life throws you another curve ball.