Once again the New Year brings the promise of starting fresh in all areas of our lives – including our finances. So, it makes sense to capitalise on that spirit by making a list of New Year’s Financial Resolutions to set ourselves up for success in 2012.
Here are a few pointers ……….
Review your 2011 goals
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Check your progress. Are you on target to meet your long-term goals? If your financial situation has changed – for better or for worse – re-evaluate your plan. |
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Build on your successes. If you achieved a financial goal in 2011, pat yourself on the back and then apply the same habits to this year’s goals. |
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Learn from your mistakes. Setbacks, like a job loss, may have made some goals impossible. But overspending on non-essentials may also be keeping you from reaching your targets. If that’s the case, make last year’s ‘regret’ the financial resolution you master in 2012. |
Create your 2012 financial resolutions list
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Keep your list short. Overload yourself with too many resolutions and you’ll give up before Waitangi Day ! A list of three to five goals will help keep the momentum going. |
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The right goals are entirely personal. You know the worries that keep you up at night, and the dreams that excite you. Finish this thought: I would be so happy if I……… |
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Budget for it. Allocate money every month to your financial resolutions and trim expenses that may be keeping you from reaching your goals. |
January can be a ‘full speed ahead’ time of year and as we set about our achievements for 2012, we should also try to savour as many of life’s experiences as possible…….
Enjoy the journey
Spend a little time each day contemplating all the good things
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Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that life is precious and be thankful for what we have. |
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Accept the ups and downs, don’t put pressure on yourself to be positive all the time, come what may. If today was good, that’s great; if not, then that’s OK too. |
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Remember – we are all in the same boat. |
Did you know that……..The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn’t begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on the 1st only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar (at midnight on January 23, 2012, Chinese people around the world welcomed the New Year, ushering in the Year of the Dragon.)
January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 BC, when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars. The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the God of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back, that way he could look backward and forward at the same time.
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