It’s the beginning of a new year, the resolutions have been laid out and the goals are getting set. How many times have you laid out your resolutions or goals, been fired up and ready to go and lost the passion in just a short time? I have more times than I care to recall. So how do we make this year different? To answer that I went back to the time that I set and accomplished my goals. Here’s how I did it and how did it change my life.

The most prominent goal that my wife, Amy, and I set and attained was to become debt free and we now are, except for the house. We started on this journey in 1998 when we began a bible study with our small group called Crown Financial. It was a very intense study that opened our eyes to what debt was doing to us. We became aware that this was not the way God wanted us handling his money.

This, along with good friends walking with us through this journey, made it possible for us to stay on the path. We needed this because it was not a short journey. We had about $30,000 in credit card debt and about $5,000 on a used car. It was going to take some time. Thankfully, between my faith, my wife and our friends reminding me that we did not get here overnight and we are not getting out overnight, I was able to keep my focus. It took us about 18 months to pay off all of the credit cards and the vehicle. What an awesome feeling that day was when it was all gone.

The freedom we now have is very real and brings to light the truth of the scripture: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender” Proverbs 22:7. Our freedom to be able to do things we want or would like to comes because we are not obligated to monthly debt payments. These financial choices gave me the freedom to start my own business in 2009. This is my passion and it has come alive in me since walking this journey. We’ve had the opportunity for my wife to stay home with our kids and follow her passion as well. We’ve made a lot of hard choices but in the end they have all been worth it.

What I have learned from this and following goals/resolutions that I have not met is that I need accountability. I need someone I respect and trust. Someone that will stay with me and make sure I am doing the activities I need to do to reach my goals. I have also found there are times that I need to hire a professional coach or trainer. I need this because I know myself and I get lazy, my focus will change or I get discouraged. I need this person to stay with me to encourage me and to challenge me.

So as you’re setting your goals/resolutions for 2012 how are you going to stay on track?