Welcome to 2014. I am one of those lucky people that love what I do, but even as much as I love it, by the end of 2013, I was exhausted!! I took 3 weeks off and feel amazing, I am rejuvenated and ready to take on all the challenges that 2014 will throw me.

This got me thinking and I took some time out to start formally writing up my bucket list, not just my goals but all the things I want to do, such as: take a surfing lesson, learn Italian, visit Machu Picchu. I used a website www.bucketlist.org, but a piece of paper would work just as well.

I am a firm believer in goal setting, both in business and in your personal life and what better time to set some goals than the beginning of a new year. Setting your goals should be the easy bit, but make sure they are clear, have a set date and are measurable. So “Paying off the mortgage by the end of 2016” is better than “Financial Security”. Although “Financial Security” is a good place to start, you just then need to ask yourself what does financial security mean to me? If I am financially secure, what does my life/situation look like?

Once you have set your goals it is time to determine how you would achieve them. What resources do you need? Time? Money? Planning? As a financial adviser, I cannot help you with the time, but I can certainly help you with the money and the planning. Often the ability to reach your goal, whether it is a short term goal like travel or a long term proposition like retirement can easily be achieved with the resources at your disposal, but some people struggle to get there as they are missing the plan, the definitive strategy that will force them to set aside an amount each week because they have set a time frame and are clear about what they are working towards.

I give you an example, when I was younger I struggled to save money. Unless I had a set target amount and time in mind I had little desire to put money in the bank when I could buy those new shoes today. However I always managed to repay my debts, often well before they were due, because I was clear about the end goal. If you need to sacrifice a little now to get to your goal, this will be much easier to do if the goal is something you desire more than that take away coffee every day.

My next project is an inspiration board, filled with images of the things I want to achieve. I believe that will help me keep focused and work harder towards the things I want. On my inspiration board, I plan to put images of the things I listed above that are in my bucket list as well as some of the things I want to achieve professionally, like speaking publicly and teaching other financial advisers.

Go to it, set out your goals, build your inspiration board and let’s start ticking some things off and make 2014 truly memorable!!!