A portfolio is the total amount of money you have at any given moment. In order to use your money efficiently you have to divide it into different pots. Probably you have cash at hand, checking and saving accounts. Perhaps you also diversify into real estate, stocks and bonds. As a smart money manager you want to make your money grow and achieve personal goals. Therefore you also constantly exchange money from one pot to another — one gains while another loses. In other words, good money management is an exciting game of exchanges; you don’t agonize over losing in one pot, because it is more than offset by a gain elsewhere. Our personal life is no different.

As children we exchanged cash presents, without a second thought, for toys. Teenagers give up hard-earned cash to entertain sweethearts and best friends. Parents sacrifice their own peace and rest to comfort their offspring. Even siblings donate, if needed, their kidneys to each other. Our social being, so it seems, also thrives on a culture of exchange of something valuable for something more desirable. But what is it that makes this social exchange system both workable and successful?

A copier receives blank sheets and, at the touch of your finger, willingly changes them into interesting prints or colorful designs. But what if the copier becomes reluctant to let go of the blank sheet? We call it a paper jam — which holds up the queue and your project. Similarly, you cannot successfully sacrifice something valuable unless you have a willing enthusiasm to let it go in exchange for something more desirable. This is also how goal-setting and prioritizing work. It may surprise you, but it is at this exact point where many good resolves, including the New Year resolutions, often end up in a paper-jam!

If your resolution is to lose weight, then you picture a slim attractive figure; but are you also enthusiastic about putting some limits to your favorite high-calorie foods? If you promise to quit smoking, are you also jubilant about giving up the pleasure of an addiction? If you plan to be frugal, then will you also enjoy controlling a buying spree? Chances are that you either ignored the sacrifice part of the exchange or else accepted it with painful groans. If so, you have set yourself up for a failure. Come share a mind-to-mind exercise today which can turn the tables in your favor.

There is a reason why ancient sacrificial events were celebrated as festivities. By celebrating an exchange of something valuable for something desirable, the sacrifice became an exciting event — thus increasing chances of its success. Use this same approach today to turn your resolve into a stellar performance. If you plan on losing weight, then make it a pleasurable game to substitute low-calorie choices for calorie-packed habits. If you intend to quit smoking, picture the joy of striking the chains of an addiction. Don’t just be frugal; celebrate your financial restraint with others. If you make such festive exercises a daily part of your promise, then your promise will become a part of your daily life.

In this universe nothing is ever lost, although it exchanges form, shape or even ownership. Your self has the chance, in this lifetime, to participate and direct the exchange in its own portfolio. Grab this opportunity, picture the benefits of your good intentions, celebrate the sacrifice of unwanted habits and you will guarantee a promise well-kept.