When you set New Year’s resolutions, you likely think about things that have gone wrong in the past (or just not as well as you’d hoped). For example, you might feel like you don’t earn enough so you set a goal to increase your income. Or you focus on the mistake of getting into too much credit card debt and you resolve to pay off that debt in the following year.

There’s nothing wrong with using mistakes and less-than-ideal situations as a base for New Year’s resolutions. But look past those and you might also find motivation in past successes.

Fixing Mistakes is Great…

Certain New Year’s resolutions (like paying down debt) are popular for good reason. They involve problems that consumers know they need to fix. It makes sense to want less debt, especially if you’re struggling. It makes sense to improve your budgeting so you don’t go into more debt in the future. And it makes sense to look for better deals if you’ve been complacent towards a high interest or high fee credit card unnecessarily.

But Growing From Your Strengths is Even Better

While there’s nothing wrong with that approach to setting financial resolutions, there’s another way. Look at what you’ve done well and find ways to play on those strengths.

For example, you might have increased earnings last year by launching a part-time business. This year, consider setting a goal that plays off that success — going full-time or just increasing your earnings more through that venture.

When it comes to credit cards specifically, maybe you already made great progress paying down your debts this year. Could you pay the rest off even faster if you tried a new debt reduction plan or tightened your budget a little more? Let your previous success motivate you to get even more aggressive about it moving forward. Try a new debt reduction strategy. For example, you might have used the snowball method previously. You can pay off the rest even faster by focusing on your highest interest debts first.

What financial resolutions will you make for 2012? What did you do well this year that you can turn into even bigger goals for next year? Share your ideas and goals in the comments below.