Many individuals believe they are unable to make any progress towards their ultimate goal; however, they are actually progressing toward that goal—they just don’t realize it. Progress is continuously being made in the background and will eventually manifest itself, often as a “light bulb” moment.
The moment when you “get it” could occur because you have developed one key habit—tracking your progress toward your most important goals—and we will talk more about this later. For now, let’s take a different approach.
The most important thing to take away from this conversation is the following:
You don’t have to have a perfect system; you have to create a system you can follow through on with discipline.
You do not need to create a complex or elaborate app, you do not need to use an elaborate formula, you don’t even need to create a spreadsheet or anything like that. You only need to have a sound plan that you can understand and use regularly.
The reason why some individuals have achieved financial success is because they display consistency in their actions—not because they have superior intelligence.
Can you imagine having hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt? If that sounds like a burden, try imagining paying all of that off in less than five years.
It’s not a coincidence that someone achieved this feat. It was done because of three very simple steps:
- Have established and measurable goals.
- Write a plan to achieve those goals.
- Create and use a daily reminder of your goals.
Again, these are not shortcuts or “magic tricks”. They are simply examples of repeating a behavior or action with discipline.
The biggest mistake many people believe is forgetting how they get to the end of their career. It’s NOT about you motivating yourself to keep going, but rather about creating systems that will provide you with a continuation of motivation when you have run out of steam.
A Good Source of Unexpected Income
Unexpected cash is usually thought of as something you blow on entertainment. Most people receive money from other sources as a rewards for achieving something; companies offer bonuses, governments provide tax refunds, you receive random gifts or side income. Most people use that money as a reward to treat themselves. However, when you begin to use that money as a weapon, it becomes a powerful ally in achieving your financial goals.
That’s not to say you are going to enjoy this process; in fact, your brain (which has been trained for decades to reward itself) will be telling you that what you’re doing is wrong and hurting you. However, by using that money as a weapon, you are effectively providing your own short-term discomfort for long-term freedom.
This is a difficult trade to make, but it is one of the most important trades you will ever make.
The Reason Why Most People Remain Stuck
Most people do not have financial success because of a lack of income or an inability to understand the money they have, but rather because they:
Have no system for tracking anything.
Do not write or set goals.
Are unable to see their progress.
Without being able to see their progress, it feels as though nothing is working; however, this is not the case. It is dangerous.
Once an individual begins to experience feelings of futility, they often stop working toward their objective.
This aspect probably isn’t mentioned enough.
Initially, we have enthusiasm. Ultimately, we have freedom.
The intermediate stage, however, is exhaustion.
You will have times during your progress that you will want to stop progressing. In fact, you may want to completely abandon all efforts altogether. This is normal.
Some people actually do stop making progress: resuming their progress becomes the most difficult task of all.
Thus, if you experience any mental fatigue, it does not mean that you are failing. It simply means you are at a midpoint in your progression.
Before any achievement can occur, prior to any strategy can take form, prior to any circumstance can transform, one essential question must be answered:
What do you really desire?
Not the things you may wish for; not the desires of others; especially not what you would like others to think you desire.
What do you desire?
Once you are clear on what you want, everything else will come together:
A plan that is built around your desire
A set of habits that support your desire
A set of decision making criteria which will lead you to achieving your desire
Absent clarity on what you want, even the most effective strategic approach will fail.
The Simplified System That Works
Here’s how to make it as easy as possible:
1) Clearly define your objective
2) Write down your strategy (don’t just visualize)
3) Visually record progress through (charts, logs, etc.)
4) Apply every spare ounce towards your objective
5) Remain consistent, regardless if it gets boring
Done!
Don’t make this any more complex than it must be.
Anyone who goes through a financial reset will find out that they:
Reduced their expenses
Reduced their clutter
Increased their control
Therefor, they will find that everything seems lighter.
Not due to having more but instead, needing less.
If you remember one thing from this,
There is no up or down in the way people view money; it only moves forward.
As long as you keep moving forward at some level, you are doing great!
And if you keep moving forward consistently enough for a period of time, you will, eventually, look back and see how far you’ve come in the past.
