Beyond Resolutions: 10 Core Truths for the New Year

In 2019, I grew disillusioned with New Year’s resolutions. I can be somewhat of a perfectionist, and if things didn’t get off to a great start, I found myself floundering.  I tended to have an “all or nothing” mentality.  If it couldn’t be perfect, was it even worth still pursuing? At the time, I didn’t think it was.  I had been setting resolutions for years and then throwing in the towel quickly once the new year started.  This also didn’t sit well with me as I had been taught early on to be tenacious and not give up easily. While I don’t remember all the details of 2019, I remember the frustration. I remember thinking that there had to be a better way to set goals and to dream big.  I needed a different approach.  Thankfully, I was listening to a podcast when they were raving about a product called PowerSheets® Goal Planner from a company called Cultivate What Matters.  I was immediately enthralled as they talked about starting small, making progress, and that small steps matter.  Not only did it seem doable, but it was a refreshing way to think about how to achieve the things that were important to me. Ironically, my first year of PowerSheets® was 2020. You can imagine how that year went! While the year and the goals went off the rails quickly, the 90-day refresh gave me a new opportunity to revisit what was important to me within the year.  Admittedly, I didn’t complete the full year, but I fell in love with the process and have been doing them every year since.

One of the best parts of using the PowerSheets® Goal Planner is that each month has its own recap space for you to jot down various things such as what’s working and what’s not. It also has space for things you are grateful for as well as your favorite memories. Then as you finish the year, you do a full year in a review and reflect on these topics. I love using the week between Christmas and New Year’s to reflect and do all the prep work. I find this week to be weirdly quiet and reflective.  I lose track of the days, and anything feels acceptable.  It’s an oddly productive week even if what I’m doing seems absurd and unnecessary (think organizing spices in alphabetical order).

This year, the week between Christmas and New Year’s took on a whole new vibe. We were coming fresh off a remodel (I’m talking furniture being delivered the Thursday before Christmas fresh here).  It was a level of calm I desperately needed after a wild finish to 2023. I couldn’t wait to grab my 2024 PowerSheets® (not sponsored by them I promise) so that I could dive in to reflecting and cultivating a new year.  Reflecting on 2023 brought some big emotions, and I was grateful for the space to process them.  In many ways it was a wonderful year! We took some great trips with friends, spent time with family, survived a remodel and perhaps some of the coolest news – we’re going to be first time grandparents!  Yet at the same time, the year was incredibly tough.  A dear friend was losing their battle with cancer. I received a new health diagnosis which meant having to prioritize my health like never before. It was a beautiful and messy year which is a perfect reflection of what life really is.

After reflecting and wrapping up my 2023 PowerSheet® Goal Planner work, I was ready to dive in to 2024.  It’s a fresh start. A time to dream big or think small. There is no right or wrong. 2024 will bring some amazing things – a new granddaughter, an amazing family river cruise, milestone birthdays for family and friends, and more.  Despite all these amazing things, I was still carrying this sense of dread, and I didn’t know why. My first moment of delight came as I discovered the new prep pages that the Cultivate What Matters team had created for this year’s PowerSheets®.  They switch it up every year, and this year had some of the classic work I love and some new fun touches.  Each year offers inspiring words and wisdom, and this year was no different. I found myself being drawn to the “Core Truths” highlighted throughout the prep pages.  Little by little, I felt the joy creeping in and the inspiration pouring out.  Each core truth hit home and had me considering 2024 in a new way. They were so inspiring I wanted to share them with you as well. No matter the season you find yourself in this year, these 10 core truths may help you cultivate new dreams or tend to existing ones in new ways.

Core Truth #1: Naming What Matters Changes Everything

Naming what matters helps us gain clarity. Life is demanding. So much is demanding our attention or at least vying for it. We’re bombarded with emails, texts and social media posts every day.  It’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important to us, even when it’s right in front of our face. It’s why we love having clients tell us their goals – their needs, wants and wishes.  It’s what matters to you, and our job is to collaborate on a plan to get you there. What is important to you this year? What do you believe will be important to you in 5 years? 10 years? Sometimes we get so caught up planning for the future that we forget what’s important to us right now.  Finding balance is important. One of the most powerful exercises I’ve done is to think about the end of my life. What would have really mattered? It’s not going to be the time I spend on social media or how much I worried.  It won’t be how much money I made either.  What would really matter to me at the end of my life would be how I treated people, the time I spent with loved ones, the friendships I made and the experiences I had. What will matter to you?

Core Truth #2: Reflection Reaps Rewards

It’s easy to get lost when we only focus on where we want to go. There is a time and a place to leave the past behind, but there is also a time and place to reflect.  Looking back and reflecting helps us to remember what is and isn’t working for us in this season.  It also gives us an opportunity to truly see the progress that was made along the way. What were the good things you experienced in 2023? What do you want more of in 2024? What lessons were learned that we can carry with us? This is your life, and it isn’t pass or fail.  This is the reason we adjust your financial plan on a regular basis.

Core Truth #3: Goals Grow When We Pursue Progress, Not Perfection

Take it from me and leave trying to be perfect behind.  Perfect isn’t realistic.  Perfection seems more fleeting the tighter we hold onto it.  Progress is refreshing and rewarding. Taking an inventory of our goals and how we’re doing gives us a great starting point for how to move forward in the new year.  You can segment your life in a variety of ways and do a life inventory as well.  How is your health? How is your family? What is your work life like these days? How are your daily finances going? If you had to rate yourself in these areas, how would you be doing? Are there areas that need more attention than others? Last year was a great year for me in several areas of my life.  I’m carrying that into 2024, which gives me the capacity to focus on other areas that need more tending such as my health.  

Core Truth #4: Change is Possible

Mindset is everything.  Have you ever thought that a goal or a dream was impossible? Have you been disappointed time and time again, so you gave up? I have. It was easier to give up than to be disappointed again.  Believing again meant a change in my mindset.  I had to be honest with myself about what was holding me back.  Sometimes I was my own worst enemy and holding myself back.  Imposter Syndrome can creep in. We can believe that we aren’t enough. Adopting a growth mindset can remind us of who we really are and inspire us to get going again. Are there things you continue to do because you feel they are expected of you? Is there a change you are dreaming of making this year? Let’s talk about it and make a plan this year to do something different.

Core Truth #5: Little By Little Adds Up

This is my life motto right now! I have a rigorous physical therapy regiment ahead of me this year to get back to doing the things I love. When I think about what’s ahead of me it’s easy to get overwhelmed.  Thankfully, I have an amazing care team that reminds me to take things one day at a time.  I have two choices, go slow and small or not go at all. This is a major departure from the “go big or go home” mantra that I can tend to adopt. When I look back at the end of 2024, I want to be proud of all the baby steps I took towards the bigger goal.  Have you ever felt the same? It’s okay to take some time to celebrate all the little things you are doing – in fact we encourage it! Celebrate the contributions you are making to your retirement plan each pay period. Celebrate your savings account for your big dream growing.  Celebrate the steps you have taken to leaving a legacy. Remember that it was the slow and steady tortoise that won the race, not the fast and impatient hare.

Core Truth #6: Legacies Start with One Small Seed

Everything and everyone started somewhere. Getting started can be the hardest part. Making a list of steps can be incredibly helpful. It can provide clarity on the best place to start. We often talk about legacy at CapSouth, and it’s so much more than a financial legacy. What traditions do you want your family to continue? How do you want to be remembered? It can be multifaceted just like you. For me, one key area that stood out last year is how much I love mentoring and paving the way for the next generation of Advisors at CapSouth.  I absolutely love the thought of a new generation of Advisors continuing the work that was begun over 20 years ago with an entire new generation of clients that includes children and grandchildren of current clients.  I can plant small seeds along the way to this bigger dream. Each small action will add up to a lasting legacy.  What is one small seed you can plant this year for your legacy journey?

Core Truth #7: To Everything There Is a Season

If I’m being honest, it already feels like 2024 has shot me out of a cannon! I was thinking I would have a leisurely start to the year, but that hasn’t been the case.  It would be easy for me to fall back into old patterns where I start trying to do everything at once if I hadn’t been so diligent about planning out my seasons this year.  I must be realistic about what I can accomplish on any given day. I’m not Super Woman even though some days I tried to act like I was! For now, let’s just focus on the first three months of the year. What’s important in this season? Is there one thing you could start, or is there one thing you need to continue this season? Are your goals realistic in this season? Do you have the resources (time, money, support) to achieve them or make progress?  These are the conversations where collaboration can be helpful. You don’t have to make all these decisions on your own, and we would love to be a part of the story.

Core Truth #8: We Can’t Do It All and Do It All Well, But We Can Choose to Cultivate What Matters

Let’s go back to that thought of being Super Woman. It took me a long time to realize I couldn’t try to do everything at once without something suffering.   These days I’ve learned to say no to some things so that I can say yes to the things that I’ve prioritized in this season.  I never thought of myself as a people pleaser but saying no didn’t come easy.  I worried about how the “no” would be received.  Eventually, I had to accept that I just didn’t have the capacity to give everything my best all at once.  It didn’t mean I didn’t want to try. The more transparent I was with those in my life I had to say no to, the freer I felt to continue to say no.  Do you feel pulled in a million directions right now? Is there something you need to say no to so that you can prioritize something more important?  

Core Truth #9: Any Day Can Be a Fresh Start

There is nothing magical about January 1. Please read that again.  As a recovering perfectionist, I now relish that every day I wake up can be a fresh start. We don’t have to wait a full year to start again.  We can choose to start on a random Monday or the first day of the next month.  That’s the beautiful part – you get to choose your fresh start.  It’s easy to keep procrastinating and waiting for the perfect time. I’m not sure the perfect time exists. We don’t have to blow up our day, week, month, or year because of a bad moment.  

Core Truth #10: It’s Okay to Grow Slow

We live in a world full of instant gratification. Amazon can have groceries and many unnecessary but wanted items to my house in just hours now.  I can pay for something with a tap of a card or a click of my iPhone’s side button.  Going slow can feel painful and unfulfilling in this kind of world. It can make us feel that we’re not making progress which can lead to giving up or moving on from a goal we had.  We don’t have to always feel as if we are racing through life.  While you don’t need it from me, I’m giving you full permission to grow slow.  We can chart your progress each year and celebrate along the way.  If you are used to sprinting your way through life, you may even appreciate a change of pace.

By the time I finished my 2024 prep work and incorporating these ten core truths into my year, I had seven goals for the year that I will devote time to little by little each month (Feel free to email me at jfensley@capsouthpartners.com and I will happily share those with you if you are curious). For those of you that love choosing a “Word of the Year”, my word for this year is intentional.  It felt appropriate as each goal I chose will require me to be intentional (almost daily).  We at CapSouth have the amazing privilege of doing life with you because of a choice you made to put your trust in us.  We are all so much more than the money in our Charles Schwab accounts, and it is my sincere hope for all of us that 2024 is a year where we can soak in these 10 core truths to remember to enjoy this beautiful and messy journey we’re on. 

To learn more about CapSouth and how we help, visit our website at https://capsouthwm.com/what-we-do/

CapSouth Partners, Inc, dba CapSouth Wealth Management, is an independent registered Investment Advisory firm. CapSouth does not offer tax, accounting or legal advice. Consult your tax or legal advisors for all issues that may have tax or legal consequences. This information has been prepared solely for informational purposes, is general in nature and is not intended as specific advice. This article contains external links to third party content (content hosted on sites unaffiliated with CapSouth). CapSouth makes no representations whatsoever regarding any third party content/sites that may be accessible directly or indirectly from this article. Linking to these third party sites in no way implies an endorsement or affiliation of any kind between CapSouth and any third party, including legal authorization to use any trademark, trade name, logo, or copyrighted materials belonging to a third party entity.

Sources: www.cultivatewhatmatters.com

Cultivate What Matters 2024 Powersheets® Goal Planner