Setting Goals and New Years Resolutions

[0:00] As we approach the New Year, everyone around is thinking about what their resolutions are going to be for 2022 and a lot of you are probably thinking, this is the year I’m going to get my money in order. Now, on this episode, I’m going to tell you three things you need to think about before you plan your resolution.

[0:26] Welcome to Debt-Free Latina, the podcast where you can finally realize your dream of being debt free and feeling peace about your financial future. And now your host, Mayra Alejandra Garcia.

[0:44] Hola, hola. Thank you so much for being here. One of the things that I hear a lot when the new year starts is, I’m gonna get my money in order this, Mayra, I’m gonna take one of your classes, or I want you to teach me how to budget. I’m gonna do a one on one course with you. Whatever it is, it’s really interesting how the beginning of the year just means new beginnings and everybody wants to get back on track, which is awesome. It’s great. I really want you to, first, prepare mentally and have things in order so that you can succeed. There’s a article by Forbes that says the Top Three Reasons New Year Resolutions Fail and How Yours Can Succeed by Kathy Caprino. When I came across this article, as I was doing some research for this episode, I thought, we have to be as prepared as we can be before we take the plunge, because it’s commitment, because it’s hard. It’s not an easy task. And we want to set ourselves to succeed.

[1:56] So number one was, it’s your conscienceness that needs to change before your behavior can change. Einstein once said, “we cannot solve a problem on the level of consciousness that’s created it.” This is true. As an example, let’s say you’re in a job that you hate and you’re being mistreated by your boss on a regular basis, and this isn’t the first time you’ve been in a horrible job. You say at the end of the year, this is it. I’ve had it. Next year I will find a new role with a great boss doing work I love. While that’s a fabulous goal, it most likely won’t happen unless you change the aspects of yourself first, so that you will be able to attract and sustain positive treatment in your life and your work. So setting boundaries and being able to speak up and stand up for yourself, is going to do so much more to you and help you in the future, than actually just saying, that’s it, I’ve had it. Well, actually, a lot of people change their life when they say I’ve had it. But you also have to analyze the situation of what has gotten you to, I’ve had it. If it’s regarding your money, what is it that needs to change, what behavior needs to change? So once you know what that is, you’re most likely to succeed at this getting out of debt and getting organized and building wealth. So what is it that you would want to change in your behavior?

[3:56] Alright, so we’re gonna move on to number two. You don’t have an accountability structure to help you sustain change. Now, a lot of us that are married, do have a built in accountability partner, that’s our spouse. So, if you are married, you should be doing a budget together and you should be putting your money together and having goals together and talking about your money. If you’re struggling in that area, you have some work to do before you can commit to this. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard, and I really sympathize with those that cannot talk about money with their spouse because it’s a difficult subject. It was not easy for me to get here. And I know just firsthand, how difficult it is sometimes to talk to your spouse about money. When I first started this journey, it was rough. My husband didn’t want to know anything about it. We had it all under control in his eyes. It’s fine, it’s gonna be fine. But it’s interesting how fast the needle moved in the direction of building wealth and getting out of debt, when he did join me in this journey. So if you’re single, I would say an accountability partner can be anybody you trust and that you see that they manage their money well. You have to trust them. It’s hard to show your numbers to just anyone. So make sure that you trust them that you know that they will give you wise counsel as to how you can manage your money.

[5:48] Number three, you’re actually scared of, and completely resistant to, achieving this big goal and you won’t let yourself. So you may consciously want to achieve this particular goal, let’s say getting out of debt, but you’re internally scared to death to bring this goal to fruition. You just don’t want to let yourself do it. If this is you, I recommend that you really dig deep into why is it that you’re scared? Is it shame? Is it that you’re scared to, what, fail? I think you need to dig and maybe ask yourself why. And not just once. Ask yourself why again. Why am I resistant? Why do I think I won’t achieve this? Why am I so scared? Why am I scared to fail? Because what if you succeed? What if you can achieve debt freedom? And as a Latina, I can tell you, yes we can too. So tell me, send me an instant message on, or direct message on Instagram. Tell me why you’re scared. Why are you not committing? What is holding you back? Because I think that if we have a conversation about this, I can try to dig and ask you the right questions, based on how you’re feeling and what you’re going through, because everybody has a unique situation. Everybody has a different income, everybody has a different goal, and it’s so different and unique. So that’s why I’m asking you, if you want to send me a message, I’m at mayra@debtfreelatina.com. That is me. I will enter that email. I don’t have an assistant, not yet. But I answer and I make an effort to answer every single email that comes to me. Send me an email. I’d love to hear because I want to be able to make more content for you. I want to make sure that you walk through these things mentally first, before you commit to this new year’s resolution that you might have. You have to prepare mentally, emotionally, spiritually, I mean all the things.

[8:32] Now, this could be applied to any area of your life. This could be applied to your spiritual life. This could be applied to your social life. There’s something that I love to talk about, which is The Seven Areas of Life by Zig Ziglar. Goals in your career, your financial, spiritual, physical, intellectual, family, and social. Now, there is one area that you’ll be naturally really strong in and one or two that you might need assistance and mentorship, and so on, in order to grow in that area. They’ll be hard for you but they’re not impossible. And this is where you really need to look at this and say, set a small goal in each area so that you’re balanced. Because he says this wheel of life, if you have neglected one area in this wheel, you’re going to first feel unsuccessful. Two, it’s like running on a flat tire. So you need to make sure that you, as you set your goals for 2022, that you look and you set a goal for each area. Just so you know, I keep them super simple. But the ones I’m really strong in, I tend to be super detailed. When I look at this wheel, the hardest for me is physical. It’s really hard for me to stay consistent in that area of my life. So just know that if you struggle with one, it’s going to be hard and so I really should partner with somebody in that area and maybe this podcast is making me realize that I need to partner with somebody that is really strong in physical activity, so that I can get healthy and stay consistent. And same goes for you. If you feel that you need support, if you need maybe a career coach, I know a few. I can definitely guide you to one. If you need financial coaching, I’m here for you. If you need a church, I would encourage you that you find somebody that is in your area that could guide you to a church that may be for you. Intellectual, I would say there is a lot of mindset coaches and there is a lot of people in the personal development area that can help you and guide you on what it is that you can do. For your family, I would say if you’re single, go to your mom’s house, go to your cousin’s house, hang out with family. It’s really important that you do that. And if you’re far from family, then make a trip out somewhere. It’s really important that you have that connection. Anyway, social that maybe it’s easy for me because I’m a total extrovert. But if you tend to be an introvert, it’s really important that you have a social life, that maybe you go out to have dinner with a friend, once a month and that’s so healthy and so necessary to be in community and to socialize.

[12:00] So that’s how I goal plan. That has been my go to for at least 10 years now, since I’ve learned about Zig Ziglar’s wheel of life. If you want to learn more, I’m going to put a link in the notes for the articles that I quoted. And it’s going to be that Forbes one and the Zig Ziglar one, so check that out and start thinking about how you are going to get prepared for this upcoming year.

[12:37] Thanks for listening to Debt-Free Latina. Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you can take Mayra with you on your journey to become debt free as you build financial wealth. Looking for more? Follow Mayra on Instagram @debtfree.latina, on Facebook @debtfreelatina, and online at debtfreelatina.com.