December 13, 2001

New Year’s Resolution Goals

The New Year is upon us and with the new year, it’s time to close the books on 2001 and begin fresh with 2002. Nearly all of us have had the experience of making new years resolutions, and most of us have also had the experience of consistently failing to follow through on our good intentions. If you are one of those brave souls who, despite less than ideal results in the past but likes starting the new year with heartfelt resolutions well, good for you!

"Even though we don’t always achieve all of our resolutions, they serve a useful purpose", says Debra Pankow, NDSU Extension Service family economics specialist. "They give us direction or goals, but resolutions can also be used unwisely. If you set too many goals or make your resolutions unrealistic, its like shooting for the stars, You end up with your to do list being so long than the things you did. But if you remain open to learning and staying flexible, you will achieve your goals."

Effective money management is one way to set your goals Pankow says. " Effective money management depends on the way you and your family choose to live and the goals you plan to achieve. Think about where you are today and where you want to be five or ten years from now. As circumstances change, family goals, timetables and spending plans will need to be revised."

There are some helpful tasks consumers can practice and by taking the time and effort to perform these tasks, it will pay off in the long run according to Pankow.

• Include things you are sure you can do. You can feel good about some accomplishments if you have set some obtainable goals.
• Write down you goals. If you keep track of your time limits, it’s much easier to remember where you are headed and to evaluate how you are doing.
• Break your goals down into small, manageable steps. That way you can begin making modest progress towards your goals.
• Say no to negative thinking the instant it happens. Choose to dwell on thoughts of happiness and success and not the negative.
• Finally, evaluate your goals. Evaluation is the most important part of achieving goals because it helps you see if your strategy is working and gives you time to change plans if plan "A" doesn’t work.

So if you have tried to reach a worthwhile goal in past years and haven’t succeeded, you’re not alone. Refuse to be discouraged, all you can you is keep giving it your best!

Anyone interested in obtaining information on goal settings for the new year can contact their local Extension agent or call Debra Pankow at (701) 231-8593 for more details.

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Source: Debra Pankow, (701) 231-8593, dpankow@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, Richard.Mattern@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Writer: JJ Camarillo, (701) 231-8371, Camarillo45@Hotmail.com