New year: new opportunities to grow with a different strategy

It’s likely that in recent days you’ve heard people saying things like “it’s just another day” or “it’s the same as any week; it doesn’t make any difference to me”. But while these observations are all very logical, it can’t be denied that the calendar does have an effect on our behavior, and it can exert a powerful force over our desires and expectations. Miguel Espeche, a psychotherapist who specializes in connections, says the impact of the new year can be very significant: “Although time is continuous, due to conventions or natural phenomena like the cycles of day and night and the seasons of the year, we divide time up into parcels that separate the end and start of a day, week, month or year, and this has a profound effect on how we organize our mental schema.”

The “sensation of a blank slate” or of a new beginning can be seen reflected on social media and in the press. Expressions like page 1 of 365 become a trend at this time of year, and articles appear about how to set realistic goals and how to plan and adjust one’s behavior to meet them.

When it comes to personal finance, the start of the year is often a motive for many people to (re)define their savings strategies in particular and to check their “financial health” in general.

Cryptocurrencies: from curiosity to the long term

For many people, the start of the year is also seen as an opportunity to try a different strategy when it comes to money. Investment in cryptocurrency is, in this sense, a clear example that combines curiosity with a gradual inclination towards thinking in the medium and long term.

The 2022 Global Consumer Payments report is revealing the causes that led many people to “enter the crypto world”. Out of 16,000 respondents in 13 countries, 28% said that their decision to enter the crypto space last year was for long-term investment while 22% did it out of"curiosity". Although curiosity can sometimes be a healthy motivation for making decisions, in this case, some experts recommend people avoid being influenced by “FOMO” (fear of missing out).

In any event, those who want to enter the crypto world in 2023 should not only be thinking in the medium to long term but will also need to carefully choose an appropriate cryptocurrency for their risk profile ( “there is life beyond Bitcoin” as they say) as well as the platform through which they plan to acquire the currency.