Make 2022 the best year ever

Set yourself up for financial success

It’s hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of another year.

I often talk with my friends, over a drink, how the years seem to pass more quickly as I age.

I’m not sure if it’s because we’re all so busy or that as I age, a year is a less significant portion of my life to date.

Cast your mind back to the end of 2020. Did you decide to set some New Year resolutions?

Perhaps it was something financial like starting a pension or repaying your credit cards, or maybe it was healthrelated, like losing a bit of weight. Whatever it was, how did you get on?

If you achieved your resolution, well done – you are in the minority.

I often only achieve around 80% of the goals that I set each year, but I think that is healthy.

It means I am setting myself a challenge and stretching myself because if I was sure to achieve it, it wouldn’t make me grow.

If you haven’t achieved your resolution though, don’t write it off just because you’re behind on progress.

To me, that is like dropping your mobile phone and seeing it has a crack, and then dropping it again and again to make it worse. It makes no sense.

You have about four weeks remaining in 2021 – a meaningful amount of time to make a new habit and continue it into the new year.

What can you do to ensure you finish 2021 on a high? Firstly, give yourself some time to think.

We are often so busy with life that we don’t allow ourselves time to think about what we really want.

Ask yourself this simple question: “What would need to happen for 2021 to finish on a high?”

Let’s say you want to repay your credit cards. With only a few weeks remaining, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to achieve this.

Don’t set yourself up to fail before you’ve even started – instead, set yourself up for success by planning what you need to do.

Start by writing down what your outcome is. For example, it could be to put into place a sensible repayment plan that you know you can follow.

Once you have written your outcome down, you need to work out your plan or strategy. If you want to repay your debts but don’t have a plan, head over to warrenshute.com to see my snowball debt repayment plan.

Set the plan to suit your figures and make sure you’re happy with it.

Next, the most important part of the exercise is to take action.

A good action for debt repayment may be to set up a standing order for you to overpay some of your debt by the agreed amount.

Finally, schedule time to check in on how you are doing. Try having a money date night, for instance.

If you’re in a relationship, I suggest you do this with your partner. But if you’re single, there are certainly no rules to say you need a partner to be financially savvy.

Put a date in your diary and stick to it. It could be the most important meeting of your life because it will change how things unfold.

Essentially, if you want a different future, you need to take different actions. Finish the year on a high and live your life by design, not default. Your future self will thank you.

A money date night could be the most important meeting of your life