09 Oct This Common Mistake Is Keeping You From Your Goals

It happened…again.

It was a dark and stormy night (okay, it was actually a sunny, bright afternoon but that’s not very dramatic). I’m on the phone with a gent discussing his financial footprint (my term for financial situation since a footprint is as unique to you as a fingerprint). We go over all the numbers, the drama that got them in their current predicament, yada yada yada.

Then, I ask the one question that lets me know how much this person has really considered taking control of their situation. It’s a simple one that doesn’t seem to have much behind it, but in reality, it’s a loaded question and I’m shocked at how many people either guess or outright don’t know the right answer.

“So when does your plan say that you are going to reach your goal?”

Okay, before I go further and start looking like a braggart, I have to come clean. I’ve failed this question many times. Other people have asked me and I’ve failed. I’ve asked me and I’ve failed. I have learned this the hard way…by failing over and over again in many different aspects of my life. This question doesn’t just apply to budgeting. It applies to anything you want to do. If you want to develop intermediary photography skills, this question applies. If you want to become a master scuba diver, this question applies. If you’re just trying to pay off some credit cards, this question applies. So why is it soooo important that I’m spending time writing a post about it and doing a video instead of just saying, ‘Hey y’all, be sure to have a plan!”

Because. We. Hate. Accountability.

People don’t like failure. That is why procrastination is so popular. It’s not failure, its just ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’. We don’t like to know that we didn’t succeed at something. This is why people don’t make plans. It’s not because they are lazy or don’t know that they should. It’s because we don’t want to. A plan will hold us accountable. It will either force change or failure or worse yet…both…into our comfortable lives. Now why go do a thing like that?

Because doing hard things are worth doing.

Don’t be afraid of failure. Be afraid of not trying. If you make a plan and circumstances completely outside of your control happen, then don’t throw away the plan–just adjust it. Sailors didn’t quit their voyage and turn around to go home when an approaching storm was on the horizon. They either adjusted their course to go around the storm or prepared their ship for the deluge to come. Batten down the mizzenmast and pull hard to port (or starboard)! The point is you can do the same thing!

If you read any blogs, listen to any podcasts, skim through articles or talk to a professional around weight loss, personal finances, playing guitar, climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, or sleep training a baby, they will all give you a plan which is an order of steps made up of milestones, timelines and an end date. These things can change, but without any of these elements, there is no plan. You simply have a dream or a wish.

Wish – I want to enroll in online school to learn web design.

Goal – I want to enroll in online school to learn web design and graduate by December 31st, 2019.

Plan – I want to enroll in online school by June 30th to learn web design, meet with a school counselor to layout each semester for the next 12 months and graduate by December 31st, 2019. (Obviously a plan will involve many more steps in between but hopefully the idea between the differences has been displayed).

I love this quote a lot because its true. And its sad to watch people settle for less than what they could have. I hate it when people make New Year’s Resolutions. It’s terrible to watch people waste their time pretending to improve themselves only to accept failure very shortly after. Studies show that EIGHTY PERCENT of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. That’s because there usually isn’t a plan that’s been put into place. Usually its a wish.

In one of my favorite novels called Dune, the author has a little mantra that the main character constantly recites to himself and I find it relevent now. “Fear is the mindkiller“. The reality is that everyone can make a plan. It’s not difficult. Now there are good plans and bad plans, but even a bad plan is better than no plan when it comes to achieving a goal. Fight your habits. Fight your laziness. Fight your fear. Don’t let it take a birthday, or New Years Eve, or losing someone close to you for that wake up moment to happen. You have the power to make the change right now. It starts with a decision. Then it starts with pen and paper. Then it is improved by telling someone else about it. A plan is an accountability tool and the more accountability you have, the more likely you are to reach your goal.

There are only a few things in life you can directly control. So much is outside of our power. But what you can control, you should control. The two most important factors you can control is your time and your money. So ask yourself an important question.

Am I controlling my time and money to the best of my ability or are they controlling me? It’s one or the other and that choice is yours.

Change your mindset. Make a decision right now. Write down your goal. Create a plan. Start improving.

You CAN do this.