The year 2018 is just over two weeks old.  How are your resolutions?  Did you make any?  If you did, have you given up on them like many of us?

I talked with a friend of mine, John, at a New Year’s Eve party and we both agreed that resolutions are not worth a ton.  Part of the reason is that we don’t really change due to one number on the calendar, but another part is that we often get swept up in the “new year, new me” wave and take on too much.  We want to lose weight, get our budget under control, be more productive at work, and be more attentive to our loved ones, all at once.  In fact, before talking with John, I had written out eight(!) different areas of improvement for the coming year.  I don’t think much of resolutions, but I was going to improve, darn it.

This is when John went all City Slickers Curly on me and revealed his secret.  Focus on one thing.  He called it “The Year Of…” and just added whatever the theme/goal may have been.  Several years ago, he met his lovely wife and that was the ‘year of marriage’.  To be clear, he decided on the theme for that year after he found his future wife.  After that he decided to complete an Iron Man triathlon, so that was the year of the Iron Man.  It’s true that most of us aren’t lining up to check that awesome feat off our list, but if a regular guy can cross the line at the Iron Man by focusing on one thing, what is stopping you from your goal?

Odds are good that weight loss/fitness, time with family, productivity, and financial health encompass at least one of your big goals.  Even if you don’t believe in the New Year’s resolution, I’m betting one of the topics on the list speaks to you.  Because this is a blog about finances, specifically the Perpetual Wealth Code™, that’s where we are going to focus our time.  The best part is that once we have our financial lives under control, the rest of the topics on the list seem to get easier.  Our wealth, and the security/confidence we feel, impacts every part of our life.

If you aren’t ready to commit to a full ‘year of’ something, break it down into weeks.  Each week you know what your not-really-a-resolution is and you stick to just that one thing.  Obviously, you need to keep going to work and fulfilling your normal obligations, but ‘The Week Of’ theme will drive the free hours of the week.  Whether it’s the week of cleaning the garage or the week of getting your financial house in order, you have the time.

Of course, if you are ready for the year of recapturing interest, more financial control, and wealth creation, you can start right now.  Step one is to open a separate checking account and divert 10% of your income on a regular basis.  This is your foundation for practicing the Perpetual Wealth Code™.  We’ll talk more about the PWC in future posts, but don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.  I look forward to talking with you.