The key to financial resolutions that succeed

Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and been washed by a wave of guilt, because you broke your resolution to spend less? If you have, you’re certainly not alone.

Why do resolutions lose the power to motivate?

Often it’s because we don’t know why we’re making the resolution in the first place. We think we know – too much debt, looming retirement, insufficient savings for a rainy day – but those reasons are generic and vague and won’t likely inspire restraint against a fantastic deal on a great purse, or a big screen TV clearance sale.

Making plans and resolutions before you know what’s really important to you, is like buying building materials before you know what you’re going to build. If you want your resolutions to have a chance at success, the key is to make them for reasons specific to you.

To do this, you must give yourself permission to dream. Don’t do this exercise on the fly. Schedule time to really think about your vision for your future and don’t limit your ideas to what seems practical or possible in your current situation. No matter how much money you have right now, how you use it can prevent you from living the life you want or it can assist you towards your dreams.

Download this worksheet, “If money wasn’t an issue, what would you aspire to do?”  The nine questions will help uncover what matters to you.

Once you know what you value and what you desire for your future, you can begin setting goals that have a powerful personal why.

(Image courtesy feelart/freedigitalimages.net)