p>Like most rational people, I tend to view New Years Resolutions with a healthy dose of skepticism. At first, when the new year rolls on, we’re filled with a sense of euphoria. Suddenly it feels like the old year has been washed away, and the door opens to a whole new world of possibilities. THIS year will be the one where you lose that extra weight, start a business, keep up with the maintenance on your house, and..well the list goes on.
Then reality sets back in.
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Unfortunately, after a few weeks that run in exactly the same pattern as December, you decide that your best bet is to keep your head down and your nose to the grindstone. The grandiose visions of the New Year fade quickly, and things get put on the backburner. This doesn’t have to be the case, though, if you set yourself some challenging but attainable goals. Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Avoid Big, Nebulous Numbers
Let’s face it: We all would like to have more money to work with. Personal finance is often about making sure you’re bringing in more than you’re putting back out, but having a larger income makes balancing the equation oh so much easier. Shy away from flat, vague statements like “I want to earn $50k next year.” When you actually sit down to work through that goal, you’ll find it a bit overwhelming, and having no clear path to success makes failure a whole lot easier.
2. Update Your Progress
Tired of missing your goals? Set quarterly progress marks instead, and run through a specific plan to make it happen. By dividing your progress into trackable chunks, you can get a whole lot more done.
3. Face Failure
Despite all the bad news you read about resolutions falling by the wayside, don’t let yourself become a statistic. If you miss a goal, don’t be afraid to sit down and examine what happened that caused you to fall short. Then redouble your efforts with a newfound knowledge of how to succeed next time.
No one said that ringing in the New Year was gonna be easy, did they?