I wake up at 7AM most weekdays. I shower, eat cereal, and then hit the road. I work the 8 to 10 hours, because I need the cash and then return home. What I do after that depends on my priorities. I wonder if I should wrestle with the kids, help my wife with dinner, or maybe if I really want to waste some time I’ll write a blog post.
1. Contraction for clarity
Contraction isn’t only for labor and delivery, it also applies to personal finance. You can have anything you want as long as you make it a goal and then plan for success. When I was a kid I wanted to be a ninja turtle, I wanted to own a caste, I wanted to marry Ariel from the little mermaid, she was one smokin’ hot red head. Well I soon realized that if I wanted to accomplish my goals I had to narrow my list to a few concrete goals, and be a little more realistic. Limit your list of goals to 3-5. I was sad to find out I couldn’t become a turtle and toxic waste was more likely to kill me than give me turtle power.
2. Time is on your side…
Unless you’re old, then you might need to make some more severe steps to obtain your goals. Don’t lose hope, just think of Susan Boyle:
How to Start Retirement Savings in Your 40s
If you’re young, your investment can grow to a nice nest egg, and compounding interest is your golden goose.
Read more about compounding interest here via my friend BrokeMillennial
An Impassioned Plea for Understanding Compound Interest
No matter how old you are it’s important to get started today.
3. Just Do It
Just do it is a motto for life, not for crappy shoes (asics for life). Action is the real motivator, once you take a small step towards your goals it will feel so good, you’d swear the feeling is as good as a Cookies ‘n Cream Blizzard. Make a commitment to set up a savings account and put $5 into it. It will feel awesome! You can tell your friends “oh I opened a savings account for my daughter’s college today.” Don’t tell them there’s only $5 in it though. Setup automatic transfers into the account and you will feel so good that you got started and you won’t even feel it leaving the account. Just having it will motivate you to put a little more into it as you re-evaluate priorities in the future. I use Ameritrade because their fees are straight forward, they have a bunch of Commission Free ETFS, and they have 24 hour customer support. So if you can’t afford a therapist you have someone to talk to.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, and it’s All Small Stuff
I know your goals might seem grand, and grand ideas can be scary. Just remember to not sweat it, you’ll spend less on deodorant and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Perfection is a pathway toward failure, be okay with taking small steps and you will be surprised and the progress you make.
What's on your short list of goals? or Who was your crush as a kid? | Help from the Web A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish by Untemplater A little motivation for your financial goals by DINKS Finance A New Month, a New Set of Priorities by The Financial Blogger Also thanks for participating in the $25 giveaway. I really appreciate all follows and tweets. Lauren Bee was the winner. |