New Year, Real Goals: Setting Intentions That Actually Last
January often arrives with pressure — pressure to reset, fix, and transform.
But Dr. Erika Rasure opened a recent client Financial Wellness session focused on the topic of “New Year Goal Setting” with a different invitation:
“January is arguably my most favorite month… Every January, we spend the month helping you lay a really good foundation for the rest of the year.”
Instead of rushing into resolutions, she encouraged something deeper:
“Sometimes we get excited — new year, new me — but we’re not really sure why we’re setting goals in a way that gives long-term sustainability.”
This session, led by accredited financial therapists Dr. Rasure and Nathan Astle, focused on the do’s and don’ts of New Year goal-setting, starting with one essential truth …
Do Start With Your Feelings, Not Your Numbers
Before writing down a single goal, Dr. Rasure emphasized this:
“One of the biggest do’s for setting financial goals… is to really understand and get in touch with your feelings and your emotions around money before we even get started.”
Nathan Astle explained why that matters:
“Money is inherently emotional. You’ve never had an unemotional financial experience.”
Goals that ignore emotions often don’t last.
“The more we can learn to see our money as a psychological experience, an emotional experience, the more we can better help ourselves make goals and move toward them.”
Instead of only asking what you want to accomplish, he suggested asking:
“What do you want to feel when it comes to your money? What do you want to be thinking? What do you want your behaviors to look like?”
Do Make Goals About Who You’re Becoming
Astle encouraged us to shift away from purely numerical targets:
“Let’s take this out of just ‘I want these numbers to happen’ and make it more about ‘I want to be starting to do some different things with these numbers.’”
That includes compassion, mindfulness, and self-care:
“I want to be more compassionate to myself. I want to drink more water. I want to go on more walks. I want to be more intentional as I’m making financial choices.”
These things matter because:
“This whole money journey is much more than just a numbers game.”
Do Be Curious About the Stories You Tell Yourself
Dr. Rasure spoke directly to the emotional weight many people carry into the new year:
“In the financial planning world, we’ve been taught that savings is good, a high credit score is good, and debt is bad. There’s no gray area.”
When someone’s dealing with money struggles like debt, that conditioning often shows up as shame:
“It makes you feel guilt, anxiety, stress — and in many ways, it makes you feel less than.”
She encouraged clients to examine where those messages come from:
“Are these things you’re actually telling yourself, or are they things you’re parroting that you’ve heard other people or institutions say?”
Because debt rarely exists in isolation:
“People come to the program from job loss, medical issues, divorce, death, scams — there are a million and one reasons.”
Healing requires holding all of it together:
“These aren’t two separate entities. They’re two things that can be healed together.”
Do Practice Compassion While Taking Accountability
Accountability matters — but so does context.
“You can take accountability for being in debt, but it’s far more complex than that.”
Dr. Rasure described this process as clarity emerging from fog:
“It’s like being in a foggy field where you can’t see more than a hand in front of you… and once you gain clarity, the fog starts to lift.”
That clarity allows you to release what doesn’t belong to you:
“Blame that can be placed somewhere else… that’s when you can start moving forward.”
Do Take Baby Steps (Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day)
Astle offered a grounding reminder:
“Most of the time, debt didn’t happen in a day — and getting out of it doesn’t either.”
Instead of overwhelming goals:
“Baby steps. Maybe it’s $20 a week. We don’t have to change everything all at once.”
Even emotional goals can start small:
“I’m going to start noticing what I say to myself after a financial decision… I’m going to start naming my feelings out loud.”
His favorite quote sums it up:
“Large doors swing on small hinges.”
Don’t Set Goals Just to Escape Pain
One of the biggest goal-setting don’ts, according to Astle:
“We don’t want to set goals just for something we don’t want — like ‘I don’t want to feel anxious.’”
Instead:
“We need things we’re running toward. I want to feel more peace. More calm. More confidence.”
Positive goals feel different:
“It’s going to be more effective, but it’s also going to feel different when you’re trying to meet those goals.”
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Dr. Rasure was clear on this point:
“The biggest don’t is comparing yourself to others in this process.”
She reminded clients:
“We don’t know other people’s financial situations… debt doesn’t discriminate.”
And progress matters more than perfection:
“Five dollars is five more dollars than you were able to do before.”
The real question becomes:
“Who is saying that $5 isn’t good enough?”
Do Plan for Joy — Even While Paying Down Debt
Dr. Rasure challenged the idea that debt means punishment:
“So many of us feel like we have to put ourselves in debtor’s prison — and that’s a big mistake.”
Joy still belongs in your life:
“You don’t have to stay in this space forever. You can save for things that bring you happiness.”
Whether it’s an emergency fund or a future Disney trip:
“You are prioritizing a future self.”
Astle reinforced that message powerfully:
“You are worthy of a future. Debt is something you have — it’s not who you are.”
Closing Thought
This January isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about becoming more yourself — with clarity, compassion, and intention.
As Dr. Rasure said:
“Nobody cares about your money as much as you do.”
And as Astle reminded everyone:
“You are worthy of dignity, a future, and preparation for that future.”
That’s a foundation worth building on.