Your Financial Plan: Why do you care, anyway?
September 26, 2008 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein
So, what’s the point? Why are you here, trying to learn about your money?
The answer is your Financial Vision. Your Vision is your objective, or ultimate reason, of why you want to master your finances.
Imagine — you have a Financial Action Plan sitting in front of you on your desk, table, or lap. This Plan spells out the exact steps you need to achieve your goals. You now know exactly what you want to do, and feel confident that you will be able to complete these tasks.
How does that feel? What does it mean to you? And not just what’s in your head – how do you feel in your body – are your shoulders relaxed? Your achy, stressed-out stomach relieved? Do you sit up straight, chin high?
Imagine – you have achieved your major life goal, that goal that you are worried about right now. Maybe it’s paying off debt, buying a house, starting a business, sending kids to college, or retiring from your job. Whatever it is – you’re there. All the tasks are completed, you’ve done what you needed to do, and you have achieved your most important goal.
Where are you? What are you doing? How do you celebrate?
This Vision of Success is your motivation. When you are thinking about procrastinating, spending your savings, taking a lump sum to buy a new car you don’t really need, chickening out on taking a risk – you refer to this Vision to remember why you are here. Why you are learning, sacrificing, taking risks, making change – so you can reach this Vision of Success that you have envisioned.
The Wealth Spa Minute: Create your Vision of Success. Write a few sentences, jot down an email to yourself, sketch a drawing, make a collage. Now post your creation on your bulletin board, log it into your blackberry, stick it in your wallet, save it as your desktop wallpaper – wherever you will see it every day as you make your financial decisions – this is your motivation to make every decision in a way that agrees with your goals.
Tags: action, celebrate, financial vision, Goal, life goal, motivation, success, Vision
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