Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
It’s in the waning days of December that we prepare to turn the page on the calendar. many American Take inventory, review accomplished and unachieved goals, reflect on hopes and plans. How is our health? What happened to our money? What about the country? Will the new year be the same as the last one, or completely different?
Are we ready?
This can be an overwhelming time. So The Associated Press reached out to professionals with diverse expertise — home organization, risk management, personal training, personal finance and political science — to talk about their perspectives on change and transformation.
For a few different things, we gave each respondent an opportunity to ask the others a question.
So let’s talk about endings and beginnings.
Change experts: Milestones stir up emotions
Transformation is the working life of professional organizer Laura Olivares. As co-founder of Silver Solutions, she works with seniors and their families to help ensure they are in a safe environment, whether that means decluttering a lifetime of possessions, downsizing to another home, or helping a family member clean out their home after the death of a loved one.
She suggests that change, even exciting change, can unearth sadness or grief for forgotten places, things and people. Acknowledging these feelings can help smooth the transition from one chapter to another.
“When you give up something that means something to you, it’s worth a moment,” she said. “Whatever that moment is, it might be a second, it might be just the acknowledgment of it. Or maybe you put it on the mantle and you think about it for a while, and when you’re ready to let it go, you let it go.”
Next question: Keri, Certified Personal Trainer Harvey Ask: ‘What small habits can I create each week to help me stay organized throughout the year?’ Olivarez’s tip: In December, brainstorm ideas, ideas, and goals. Then, by January 1, map out the tasks that will drive these priorities through 2026. Olivares recommends doing three tasks every three days, so nine tasks per week.
Actuary: Planning is important but sometimes fickle
Perhaps no one cares more about the future than actuaries. They use data, statistics, and probability to design models that understand the likelihood of certain events occurring and the cost of recovering from them. Their work is critical to organizations such as insurance companies.
Listen to R. Dale Hall, though, and he sounds almost… philosophical. He is Managing Director of Research at the Institute of Actuaries. When asked how the public views the new year, he was happy to suggest strategies such as planning for risk scenarios and how to respond.
A balance needs to be struck, he says: We cannot control or predict everything and must accept the possibility of the unexpected. The past is not always a perfect guide. Just because something happened doesn’t mean it has to happen again.
“That’s the nature of risk-taking, right? Yes, there are going to be things that are uncontrollable,” Hall said. “There may be ways to spread those risks or mitigate those risks, but no one has a perfect crystal ball to see three, six, nine, 12 months ahead.”
Next question: From personal finance educator Dana Miranda: “Thinking about the variables we consider when making decisions or plans, how might the juxtaposition of the holidays and the New Year affect the way people evaluate their finances and set goals at the beginning of each year? … What do you recommend they do to ensure that the holiday experience doesn’t impact financial goal setting?”
Hall’s advice: Keep them separate. He advised people to enjoy the holidays and postpone financial goals until January.
Personal Finance Authority: Treat money with care
In her work as a financial writer and personal finance educator, Miranda encourages people to make conscious choices around spending and saving, and understand that there are no absolute rules.
Miranda, “You Don’t Have to BudgetThat said, the details are key. What works for one person may not work for someone else. As another year of goals and resolutions approaches, Americans should consider this. Insisting that the same techniques work for everyone can leave people feeling stuck, Miranda said.
“We tend to be bad at talking about nuance, which makes people feel like, ‘This is the right rule. There’s no way I’m going to be perfect, so I’m going to be ashamed of every move I make that’s not toward that goal.'”
Next question: Political science professor Jeanne Theoharis asks Miranda how to get people to look beyond the micro and consider the larger capitalist system. “How she gets people thinking about more collective solutions — like organizing a union, putting pressure on city council or congress For a change? “
Miranda was quick to make it clear she was not an organizer, but said she was trying to stir up larger systemic issues when discussing personal finance. “The way I try to change that a little bit is to always bring the political aspect into any conversation we’re having … to make the systemic and cultural impacts visible.”
Trainer: Make Goals Achievable
When it comes to change and the New Year, one of the most popular areas is fitness, which is the subject of many (failed) resolutions. Harvey, a personal trainer at Form Fitness in Brooklyn, says you can make positive, lasting changes in fitness (in general) with one philosophy: Start small and work your way up.
“We want to be careful to make sure we’re not asking for too much and not trying to overcompensate for what we’ve left behind or what we’ve left behind over the past year,” she says. “It’s very reasonable to try and set a goal of going to the gym twice a week, maybe three times a week, and go from there, rather than saying, ‘January 1st, I start, I’m going to go to the gym five days a week for two hours a day.’ That’s not realistic and it’s not kind to ourselves.” “
Next question: From Hall: “What advice do you have for me transitioning to a more rigorous exercise program in 2026 so as not to risk injury from doing too much too fast?”
Harvey emphasizes warming up and maintaining an active routine, and accomplishes his goals by making it fun. “Find things you really enjoy doing and try to incorporate them into them so that the idea of starting something new or adding something new doesn’t come with negative emotions like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do that,’ and you’re dragging yourself into it.”
Historian: Learn from your past
We don’t just think about transformation as individuals. Countries and cultures have them too.
Theoharis, a professor of political science and history at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York, said we can learn from them if we look at our history honestly and don’t try to gloss over the ugly parts. New York Graduate Center.
She mentioned the story of Rosa Parks, who is considered the catalyst for the Montgomery bus boycott 70 years ago. But when Parks chose to resist, she had no idea what her arrest meant or what the consequences would be. Theoharis believes this is a lesson for those who want to make a difference in today’s world, or even individuals who want to thrive.
“Many of us would be willing to be brave and do something if we knew it was going to work,” Theoharis said. “We might even be willing to take some consequences. But looking at the actual history of Rosa Parks or the actual history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the reality is that you have to make these stalls without realizing that they’re going to work.”
Next (and final) question: From Olivares, who wants to know what Theoharis thinks about today’s civil rights struggle. Theoharis cited the erosion of voting rights in recent years. Meanwhile, memories of the tumult of the civil rights era have been overshadowed by the myth of America overcoming injustice.
Theoharis said it’s also a lesson about how to create real change for individuals: If you don’t honestly address what happened before, it’s hard to move forward. “Part of the reason we’re where we are today is … a lack of reflection on ourselves, a lack of reflection on where we are, a lack of reflection on history.”