I love New Year’s Eve. The excitement as the seconds tick down to midnight, the cheers and hugs as everyone around you celebrates the ending of one year and the beginning of another. In that very moment there is so much potential, so much hope. It’s a chance to start fresh, a new year, a new me.
Each year I seemed to make the same New Year’s resolution: This would be the year I (finally) stuck to a workout and got into shape. I always started off strong. I would start running again or incorporate a new exercise found on Pinterest into my routine, and for a while my resolution would actually stick. However, as the clock began to tick down, I would find myself reflecting on a year that did not end the way I had planned.
So, what went wrong? I think I lost motivation somewhere between the stress of work (some things only chocolate can solve), the indulging in holiday meals (thanks mom), and the thought that one bad day won’t kill my plan (unless that “one bad day” is for 365 days in a row, I suppose). So how was I supposed to reach my goal, how could I hold myself accountable?
This past year I took a new approach. I joined gyms that not only kept me interested, but also held me accountable. A combination of Orangetheory (a fitness program focusing on high-intensity interval training) and kickboxing is exactly the workout I was looking for. If too much time went by since my last visit, I could expect a call to check in on my fitness goals. It was a great reminder to help me get back on track when life got in the way. As 2017 draws to a close, I may not be exactly where I had hoped, but I am that much closer to where I want to be.
Financial resolutions can be looked at in a similar way. Sometimes the best laid plans go off track. Not because they are not important, but because life happens and plans need to be adjusted. Who can hold you accountable to your financial resolutions? Who will be there when you need someone to check in and say, “How is everything going? Are there any adjustments we need to make to get you back on track?” Finding the right financial advisor could be the answer to setting your financial goals and ensuring you stay on track to hit them.
