New Year Resolutions: Mountains or Mole Hills? by Krysten York

14 Jan New Year Resolutions: Mountains or Mole Hills? by Krysten York

Every day it seems like there is a constant supply of distractions – work, family, friends – it’s never-ending! These distractions make it hard to focus on personal growth sometimes. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by what seemed like an unachievable mountain of tasks? I have! I felt silly making resolutions that by the end of January would become unachievable.

I was determined to make this year different. I thought about what went wrong so many times before. Why didn’t I achieve those lofty goals? Well, I didn’t achieve those goals because they were unrealistic. For example, in the past I set the goal, “I will go to the gym in 2016.” But what does that mean exactly? If I set foot in the gym on January 1st, did I achieve my goal? Technically. If I waited until December 31st, did I achieve the goal then? Technically. So, I wasted time and money before I started making any progress. In order to achieve success, I needed to be realistic.

I want success this year. More importantly, financial success. The old me’s resolution would have been, “I will be more financially responsible in 20xx.” But this year, I have decided that in order to tackle the mountain that is my goal – financial success- it must be broken down into more manageable mole hills. I have created smaller, more manageable goals. For example, rather than being financially responsible, I want to increase my contributions towards my retirement funds. It’s a small goal but it’s manageable.

I also started reading two books to assist in my journey to becoming financially responsible. One of these is Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover.” Too often, we all try to tackle goals on our own. We can be prideful, making it difficult to accomplish anything. For me, Dave Ramsey’s personal story is relatable and provides hope that my own goals are obtainable. It’s important to recognize that it’s okay to ask for help.

While we each face a mountain of distractions, we can tackle the mountains of our new year resolutions by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable molehills!

Kyrsten is the Manager of Donor Relations at the Bill of Rights Institute in Arlington, Virginia. She enjoys supporting all teams from Boston and is always on the lookout for a good book!