Make It Personal
My personal reason for writing this blog is to be able to assist others in building a better mindset for money. And my commitment is to be willing to share my mistakes and ways to get past them to help you build a better financial life for yourself.
That, of course, means I must find ways to continually improve my own financial habits and cash position.
What is your commitment to your financial future?
You need goals for motivation. But your level of commitment is what will drive your accomplishment in the steps that make your goals possible.
This is your life and you have the option to design a better one, including better relationships and financial stability. This is important. So, make it personal!
People Over Money
It is unfortunate that most of us learn most of our life lessons the hard way. Hopefully, you will read or listen to the experiences of others and avoid making similar mistakes yourself.
My personal experience has been that money comes and goes but you want your friends and family to stay. Relationships are good for your health. They offer you a way to help and to be helped.
Money may buy things to make you comfortable, but money is not comforting.
For that reason, I believe you should be a person that can commit to friendship. Be willing to give of your time and resources with no thought for returns.
Yes, you will find those who only want to use you. But you will more often find those who are thankful for your help and support.
In your quest to accomplish goals that can give you financial stability, be sure to give people more value than money.
Get Up and Get Going
The hardest thing about having a job is commitment to a work schedule. And it is easy to see those who don’t commit.
Routines help. Commit to going to bed and getting up on a schedule. Make time for reading or listening to motivational and inspirational materials. They will help your perspective on relationships.
Commit to fitness. A strong mind needs a strong body. Walking is known to be therapeutic. Make your walks a therapy session to help your days go better. And be sure to offer a prayer. That helps too!
Routines can help you be more productive, since you are better prepared to start your day and more willing to deal with the problems that arise. This practice will help you become a leader. Good leaders have good habits!
Work on your routines and habits. They can get you closer to your goals and help you get up and get going!
Your Due To List
Your “To Do List” will be more effective if you add reasons, priority, and a time frame. Otherwise, it will just sit on your desk until you re-write it for another day.
On your list, your “due to” circumstances may be because you have debts to pay, family activities to schedule, or a future goal to consider.
Do you value your future? Your family? Your job? Your friendships?
Making time for everything is impossible. But making time for what is important is possible.
You will do what you plan to do. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This was popularized by Robert H. Schuller and John Wooden. Both were accomplished men.
If you are happy with your present situation and all is going well for you financially, you can ignore my suggestion for change.
However, if you do not plan for change, then nothing will change. Change for the better will come when you change for the better. Work on your due to list!
Goals for Income
Your income is your financial limitation.
Do you want to spend more? Have more things? Then make more money.
This thought is troubling to many people, because they want a quick fix. And the only quick fix is to work longer or add a second job.
But be careful. Some commit to spending before they calculate the commitment needed for earning!
A more reasonable approach is to read, study, and take classes to add skills that employers need. You will add value to yourself in the job market.
Let that added value give you the opportunity for the added pay you need.
Committing to Keeping Money
Everyone has needs. But beyond providing for those, we begin to see things that would be nice to have.
However, at the end of your working career, it will be what you manage to keep and invest that brings value to your retirement, not what you spent on fun things to do or have.
Remember your “Due to List”? Do you want to read, “Due to my limited saving for retirement, I need to get a job to make ends meet”?
I am retired. But my retirement would have been more enjoyable and less risky if I had saved much more than I did.
Commit to a plan and that will be possible.
Commit to spending with saving in mind. Make goals for saving. Determine how much you will need for retirement and make that a goal.
That will require some thought but good attention will help you commit to keeping money!
Committing to Learning
Until you commit to learning, you can’t understand what goals to make for your learning.
The only known is that you don’t know enough!
A high school diploma is a start not an end.
Reading as a habit is an important commitment to learning. Specific skill learning is an added layer of learning.
Most will find time for reading difficult to schedule. But like habits and routines, reading can be included in your plans, due to your need to learn!
A commitment requires focus. You will experience distractions. But focus will help you get back on track with your commitments!
Goals Change with You
Your growth depends on you. You do the learning. As you learn more, you understand more. The world looks a little different, a little less intimidating.
Setting goals and committing to plans will be important. But they are limited by how you change and how much you learn.
I like to listen to recordings by Jim Rohn. He had some good insight into framing your goals. He suggested using six months as reasonable timeline for making progress.
With that in mind, I suggest you review your list of goals and commitments every six months. That will give you time to make measurable progress and be able to determine if your goals are taking you in the right direction.
As you commit to personal growth, your goals can change with you!