Spring is an interesting time:

Changing clocks with Daylight Savings, spring break, Easter, spring cleaning, Irish Spring, the list goes on of excitement around this time of year. Almost all of it deals with the themes of growth, rebirth, and renewal.

When we change our clocks, we are also told to change out the batteries in our smoke detectors.

When we go on spring break, we are taking some time off after months of hard studying to refresh our psyches and come back to finish out the school year with renewed energy.

The Christians believe that Easter marks the resurrection of their principal figure, Jesus Christ.

Spring cleaning is for getting rid of a year’s accumulation of clutter to make your home a new place for the next year.

Flowers start coming back in bloom, lawns become green again, and the circle of life goes on from this new beginning.

So what does this have to do with finance? Well, I don’t know of anybody who has done everything exactly right when it comes to their finances. We all have regrets. Springtime can serve as our “reset” button on the whole thing. We can forgive ourselves for making mistakes, and pledge to start today not to make the same mistakes. We can start a new program; one that is more aligned to our goals and aspirations for our financial future.

I hear quite often that people are in despair because they feel they have already screwed up so badly that there is no return. Very few people really screw up that bad, so why assume that you are one of them? Take Spring to acknowledge that mistakes were made, but today is a new day, and those mistakes are now over. Set down and plan out your budget, keeping in mind where the last one failed, and adjusting appropriately. Start tracking your expenses a little better today. Add a little more daylight to what you are doing and how to do it better.

“Wait a minute! This sounds suspiciously like a New Year’s speech.” Sure it does. That’s part of the beauty with life, and with the world. There are so many chances to start over. This is never more true than when you are young. Take advantage of today to start over!