Regardless of how we feel about it, this year is rolling to a close. Perhaps we failed to achieve the goals we had set for ourselves in those past 12 months. Or, maybe we managed to fulfill our expectations.

Whatever the case, we can all use these five financial ideas to end this year with dignity and gratitude.

Write Down Your Financial Wins

What are your financial victories? Did you talk to family members about your financial concerns or opportunities? Were you intentional about your spending choices? Did you review your plan to discern what course corrections need to be made in this season of life?

What character traits led you to these victories? Were you diligent, patient, creative, resourceful? We seldom give ourselves credit when due, so take the time to pat yourself on the back. You will be more likely to build on those wins in the new year.

Acknowledge Your Financial Failings

We all make monetary mistakes, every day, in many ways. We overspend on holiday purchases. We argue with loved ones about money matters…

Women tend to abdicate their financial responsibilities with negative self-talk. We chide ourselves for not doing the end-of-year tax harvesting or rebalancing we had intended to do. We blame ourselves for not having put more money away for future goals.

When we acknowledge and accept what we didn’t do, we become accountable, and it frees us to choose a new direction. Failure is a part of life – let’s learn from it and move forward!

Financially Forgive Yourself and Others

A new direction includes letting go of the past. It is the conscious decision to let go of the blame, resentment, anger, or other detrimental emotions that hold you hostage. We expend valuable energy blaming others when it could be used more productively.

In this season, we can accept past failures and find peace in knowing that we are all financially fallible, and that we can choose to head into the new year with new intentions instead of incriminations.

Identify and Connect with Supportive People

You are not alone in this world. You are a part of something larger than yourself. Who can help you become your next best financial self? If you are a lifelong learner (I myself am still on a growth journey), who can hold you accountable for that advancement in your financial life?

Build your tribe in doing your dollars differently in retirement. Set yourself up for growth and true prosperity by putting the professionals and the proponents in place to walk alongside you in the next year.

Rewire Your Financial Neuropathways

Create financial affirmations. Write them down, say them out loud, and tell your brain you are going to do money in a new way. You can affirm how you bring money into your life or how you share it with people or causes that are important to you.

You can avow how you want to grow your financial resources or protect them. You may want to declare a new way of making spending decisions. Make your affirmation in present tense, “I am doing…” If you need some ideas – check these out.

It is about so much more than the numbers. Yes, they are important, but when you create belief systems, change attitudes, and address behaviors, you will build your self-worth as well as your net worth.

Your new year starts now! Each day is a chance for new beginnings, and delving into any or all of these will help set you up for new pecuniary potential in the new year!

What financial wisdom did you gain this year? How do you plan to use it in the new year? Please share what you learned about doing your finances the right way.