Who doesn’t love a PAYDAY?! I’d venture to say that it probably is the favorite day of the week for many. You look forward to payday and before payday is even over, your bank account looks like it never even happened. Your balance has little to show for all the hard work you put in at your 9-5. How depressing! There has got to be more – more to life than work, payday, broke, repeat. How does one get out of this cycle?
- Change your thinking
- Set goals
- Adapt your lifestyle
- Celebrate success
Get a new mindset
Changing the way you think about money is the first step to breaking the cycle. If you think money comes and money goes, you know what will happen? Money will come and just as fast as it arrived, it will go. What you think becomes what you say and what you say becomes what you do. It really is that simple. So if you start with changing what you say about money, you will begin changing how you handle money and things will begin to look a lot different. Next time you get ready to say, “I’m broke,” choose your words carefully. If you don’t want to stay in a state of broke, try saying “I am working towards my financial goals.” This communicates that you are making progress towards your financial goals, which is much better than being flat out broke. The more you say it, the more you will believe it and the more you will begin to do it and your finances will change. Try it out for a few months and see if it makes a difference.
Plan to Succeed
A wise person was once quoted, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This is true for every aspect of life, but especially when it comes to your finances. Making a plan and setting goals is the next step to achieving financial freedom. Your goals don’t need to start out so lofty that you will never reach them, start small. If you have never had $200 or $5000 (depends on your salary and current situation) in savings, start there. Make a goal to save and maintain a set amount of money in your savings account. That number is totally dependent on your situation, but make it a number that you have to have faith to achieve because you have never saved that much before. You can do it. Write it down, set a realistic time frame, make sacrifices, and watch your account grow. Plan to be successful and don’t give up hope. You got this!!!
#Lifestyle Goals
Everyone is all about “living their best life!” Yassssss! Sign me up. But wait a minute, is your bank account ready for this best life you dream about? Have you been working your plan to meet your financial goals. The ‘gram and Facebook and TMZ make it so easy to see what everybody else is doing and what everybody has, but please don’t forget to take into account what your financial reality is – and learn to be okay with it. Not as in these are the cards you were dealt and this is all there will ever be, but learn to be content with what you have. Stop comparing yourself and your life with the Smith’s, the Johnson’s or whoever that rich celebrity is that you dream of being like. Live YOUR best life in every phase of your life. The best life is not about material things and vacations, the best life is the life of true fulfillment, contentment and gratitude – you can’t put a price tag on that. If you are overextending yourself financially simply to “keep up with where you think you should be,” or because you “deserve it,” NOW is the time to STOP. When you stop today, you can begin to walk in FREEDOM and truth. Freedom from doing what other people think you should do or buying what other people think you should have. You can step right into financial freedom, one step at a time. Now, get to steppin’!!!!
Celebrate good times
Too often I forget to celebrate, so that is why I want to remind you. 😉 It is totally okay to celebrate reaching your financial goals. The moment you meet your first savings goal or you payoff your first debt or you stick to your budget for the first time ever consistently is something to be celebrated. A celebration does not have to be extravagant and it does not need to cost much. Whether it be a simple toast to yourself, a pedicure or a trip to the movies, keep it within your financial goals and celebrate away! Just don’t get carried away. The second you realize that your financial goals are being jeopardized, is the exact second that it’s time to reel it back in. The best way to not go overboard is to plan for your celebrations. Just set milestones and targets and rewards and incentives that are consistent with your goals. And you’ll be on your way to enjoying the journey of financial freedom in no time.
Money, money, money, monnnay!
Did you just start singing that song in your head? Well imagine the song you will sing when you overcome your financial obstacles. Imagine when you get paid and you actually have money to put in savings and that account is growing. When you are consistent with managing your money, your money will no longer go as fast as it comes. Envision your dream bank account, your dream house, your dream life. Don’t get me wrong, I will never endorse chasing money, all I want to chase is God, but money is necessary for life and since it is necessary, learning how to manage it is important. We are not created to live a mediocre life, God wants us to have an abundant life. Make that money but don’t let the money make you!