subject: Golden Rules to Reach Your Goals [print this page] Golden Rules to Reach Your Goals Golden Rules to Reach Your Goals
Establishing goals is the first step towards reaching them. Some experts suggest that you put your goals into picture form-your home, your family, your job, your boat, your car-so that they become real for you. Then, post the collage where you can see it. The collage then acts as a constant reminder of the kind of life you want to build for yourself.So, your first golden rule to help reach your goals is to make them visible to yourself. Either create a picture collage of all the things you'd like to have or do, or write them down as a list (if you're not into the whole scissors and glue thing). Place that list or collage somewhere that you can see it every day. Again, the experts suggest it should be the first thing you see or read when you get up in the morning and the last thing you look at before you fall asleep at night. So consider a place near your bed for your goals.Second, work out how much money you might have to save to get those things. Now, set up a plan-five years, ten years, or however long it will take-to save the money to make that purchase. Of course, many purchases like a house or car are usually made with a down payment and a purchase agreement, so you just have to save for the down payment. But those are still often big buck items, and most of us have to save towards them. So work out the dollars needed, and start setting them aside.Third, set up automatic transfers of the amounts you need into an account. The key here is to see your dreams and goals as every bit as important as paying the utility bills. Of course, you do have to pay your rent, or you'll quickly be homeless, but the point is to make paying yourself as much an obligation as paying your phone bill. You pay that bill every month. Now pay yourself too.You might be asking yourself how you'll every find the money to pay yourself. That's golden rule #4. Curb your impulses. Stop spending money whenever you want. Cut up credit cards and other swipe-ables, close credit lines, and get tight-fisted with your cash. Big money losses happen with entertainment, movie and DVD rentals, eating out, and morning muffin and coffee buys. Stop them. Take the money you're no longer spending and set up automatic transfers into your savings account.Initially, not spending money can feel a bit strange. You may find yourself going into a store, realizing you don't have any money to spend (because you're not carrying plastic) and walking out with nothing in your hands. That's when you go and look at your collage or list of goals, and focus on the dreams and goals that are your future.
