Write it Down!
For years I kept my “goals” in my head and never wrote them down. You know what happened? I didn’t reach my goals! Write your goals down! I can’t stress this enough! Get your hopes and dreams out of your head and on paper! By writing your goals down your focus on those goals will increase. I actually recommend writing down your goals often. I write down my goals every morning. It takes less than 5 minutes. Guess what? I am achieving my goals!
When it comes to your finances it’s important to have a written goal, but it’s also important to have a written path to that goal. That’s where the budget comes into play. Now your budget doesn’t have to be handwritten (it can be), but it needs to be somewhere besides your head! So, make a budget – handwritten, app (EveryDollar is a great option), or spreadsheet.
Be Realistic!
I really want to stress how important it is to make realistic goals. If you set a goal that isn’t realistic you are setting yourself up for failure. It’s ok to set goals that stretch you and make you a little uncomfortable (I do this!), but let’s be realistic.
I want you to have a positive mindset towards money and your goals. Time and time again I have people tell me that they’ve tried budgeting in the past but they couldn’t stick to it because things keep popping up (we’ll address that in more detail shortly). What typically happens is they didn’t make a realistic budget (goal). The negative side of this unrealistic goals is they quit trying to budget. I often hear “Budgeting doesn’t work for me!” or “I can’t stick to a budget.”
I don’t want you to quit working towards your goals. I want you to keep pushing through even when things pop up and send you a little off course. If you continually set unrealistic goals you won’t stay the course and reach your goals.
Did you write your goals down for 2020? Are they realistic? Share your thoughts below!
