One of the more consistently top-rated goals that a lot of people have on their new year’s resolution list is money, whether it’s creating more of it, saving more of it, or just being able to manage it better. Making financial New Year’s resolutions is a good first step to getting closer to achieving your financial goals, but it’s important to set up your resolutions in such a way that you don’t fizzle out half way or lose interest even before your start. Here are 5 ways to make your financial New Year’s resolutions work for you consistently, all year long:

Become the Change You Want to See

Successful financial resolutions that last are a product of intrinsic patterning as opposed to anything that happens from outside of you. If you’ve been previously unsuccessful at sticking to your New Year’s resolutions, it’s worthwhile to consider that re-training behaviors require conscious effort.

Take the time to reflect and understand the reasons that prevent you from achieving long-term goals and then make the effort to work through them. Not only does this help you attain long-standing goals, it also helps you develop discipline, patience, and willpower, all of which go a long way in every single aspect of your life.

Make your financial goals S.M.A.R.T

S.M.A.R.T is a mnemonic acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. A SMART goal is well-defined and based on specific parameters. Therefore, it is much more achievable than an undefined goal. For instance, consider the New Year’s resolution – “I want to save more money this year”. We have no real criteria to judge progress or gauge for success with very generic goals of this nature.

We might rephrase this resolution to “I will save $250 every month from my income so that by the end of the year I will have $3000 in additional funds to contribute to my savings. I will save this $250 by cutting out deli breakfasts and will, instead, cook up simple meals at home”.

We now have a resolution that’s more focused. It defines the goal, the reason for setting the goal, and how and when it will be achieved by taking steps to get there. A goal that is structured this way promotes efficiency and is more easily achieved. Remember to break goals into manageable steps to avoid disappointment and to maintain momentum in achieving your goal.

What is Your Motivation?

To make New Year’s resolutions really stick, associate them with the strongest motivators you can think of. For instance, generating monthly savings can help you with:

a) creating an emergency fund
b) generating college tuition funds for your children
c) saving for a much needed holiday
d) making you feel more in control of your financial budget

Think about your motivations whenever you feel like you can’t maintain your resolutions. They will help you get back on track.

Create reminders and checklists to stay on top of your targets.  Make full use of all the tools that are available for you to stay goal-focused.

Real change comes from inside of you. Build a disciplined mindset and use these tips to make your financial resolutions for the New Year stick for the long haul.

A coach can help you to do this and will keep you accountable, focused, and on track.