Is money in your 2014 new year resolution?

It’s that time of the year again when many people are making new year resolutions, dreams and goals that they envision for themselves. Just two days ago, I asked my 10 year old son what his new year resolutions would be for 2014. He said: “I don’t know. What’s the point, don’t most people make all these resolutions and then only to break them anyway?”

That was not an answer I was expecting from a 10 year old, and it’s very sobering! “I’ve got to nip that negativity in the butt”, I said to myself. It was a such vivid example of how us human beings, as we grow, we tend to “settle” into mediocrity based on either past personal experiences and/or social conditioning.

So, the question is “Why?” Why don’t most people keep their resolutions? Personally, I think sometimes, when we are in a state of excitement (as in the beginning of a new year, bound by all the festivities, and the holiday spirits), we make lofty goals and visions, because envisioning that perfect future is a sweet and empowering process, but we stop short of outlining the specific steps to get there. Lacking the clarity of those intermediate steps, those lofty goals become insurmountable after the holiday adrenaline is gone and then we give up.

So, I want to try something slightly different this year, both for myself and my children. Instead of having a long list of goals, I’m only going to have 2 main goals, but for each goal, I will list the specific steps to get there, as the “mini goals”. For example, one of the goals could be “I want to make more money this year”. Most of the time, we relate this phrase to something like getting a new job with a higher pay, or starting a new business that will generate more income. These are all good, but how about “do a better job in managing what you already have”? How much time do you allocate to managing your finances? If you have a financial advisor who does the investments for you, how actively are you involved in working with him/her? The answer to this question says a lot about your overall relationship with money.

This is a time of self reflection, for me. And if this resonates with you, then I welcome you to join me on this journey.