New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year to all, may this year find you healthy, wealthy and wise.

New Year's Resolutions

It's very interesting to read newspapers and magazines at this time of the year as there are many articles featured about making or breaking New Year's resolutions. Many of these articles offer advice on how to make or keep the new resolutions. These articles make it seem like there is something wrong with us and that we require changing.

Why wait until New Year's to make changes especially if they are needed before the new year?

I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions. I make changes in my life on an ongoing continuous basis. As I learn new and improved ways of doing things I implement the changes. I don't give myself permission to wait until the new year before making changes if they can be accomplished much sooner.

Many of us set ourselves up for failure when making New Year's resolutions. 

When making New Year's resolutions you must be realistic so that you don't set yourself up for failure by making a resolution that you would never be able to keep. If we are not successful in keeping our resolutions we may give ourselves permission to break other rules as well.

Retailer's are in on the New Year's Resolution Conspiracy

Retailers offer many products to assist us with those New Year's Resolutions as evidenced by the Shop Thunder Bay Series for January. Whether your resolution involves weight loss, quitting a bad habit, getting organized, starting physical activities the products are on the market and for sale to help you achieve success.

It's no wonder the weight loss industry has grown to a billion dollar a year industry. If it was as easy as taking something internally to help us lose weight we'd all be very thin. The problems with weight and weight gain are that we have no problem taking something internally, it's called food and most of us do this very well.

Motivation required for making change

The problems arise when we are not able to motivate ourselves to do the other things required to lose weight. Things like setting time aside for physical activity, taking nutritional supplements, drinking lots of water, etc. etc. etc. We need to change our behaviour before we will experience a lifestyle change. The same behavioural changes are required in many of the other areas of our lives even when dealing with our finances.

Taking Care of Finances requires attention to detail, sacrifice, perseverance

Taking care of finances requires attention to detail, ongoing participation in the processes to put the finances in order. Dedication and perseverance are also required because most financial areas become successful only after several years of participation. Dealing with finances isn't an instant gratification area because it takes time to see results.

In this day and age, most of us want it now, I want it yesterday, or I want it right now. We're not willing to wait for progress, or to see results. We don't want to make the required sacrifices or change the way we are used to doing things in order for the improvements to occur.

Why be reacting to financial situations?

Most people would rather do anything else than deal with their financial issues. Many people will leave dealing with finances until the last possible moment that they can. This is reactive behavior and it is very difficult to make changes, or for improvement to occur if you are always reacting to things that happen.

Take a proactive approach for change

You need to take a proactive approach for change and improvement. You need to have a plan. Things need to be done on an ongoing basis, Change needs to occur continuously.  Revisions are needed as changes occur. This can be alot of work that many of us are not prepared for and many of us are not willing to pay someone else to help us achieve financial success.

Why not pay someone else to help with your financial success?

We are not experts in every area of our lives. Some of us require assistance with many areas. Why is it so difficult for people to ask someone else for their assistance? Especially if the other person is an expert or has a really good understanding of what needs to be done and knows how to accomplish getting it done? Many of us could achieve financial success with a little assistance from someone else. We may learn some new skills in the process and be on the road to success with very little effort on our part.

Begin your New Year learning new skills  by checking out the Financial Planning Series: Parts 1 and 2.

• Part 1: Estate Planning talks about preparing a will, tax considerations upon death, preparing Powers of Attorney for Personal Care and for Finance
• Part 2 talks about Investment Planning aspects

Contact A Step Beyond.ca for assistance in achieving financial success.