Taking care of your finances is one of your top goals — it has to be. If you can’t handle your money, you really can’t reach any of your goals. Want to retire a little earlier than most? You’re going to need to have your finances in order. Want to get married and have the type of ceremony that you really adore? You’re going to need to get your finances in order. Want to ensure that your child goes to the best schools? Again, you have to get your finances in order. It matters for buying a house too — you have to be able to have your finances in order because lenders are tightening up on how they will lend to. If you don’t have your life in order form a financial perspective, you’re going to have a hard time keeping up with things. That’s just the way it is, and there’s no way to honestly fix it.
Some people seem to always have it going on. They seem to always know what to do, how to do it, and where they’re going. If you’re struggling with your finances, you might wonder how they always seem to be able to tie everything together. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that type of certainty in your life?
Of course it would. Thankfully, the steps to get there aren’t a secret. It’s all about having realistic financial goals. As you might imagine, realistic financial goals really do make all of the difference. It’s all about being able to reach out and get exactly what you’re looking for at any time you’re looking for it. You have to be specific with your goals. There’s a world of difference between “I want to make a lot of money someday” and “I will deliver a stellar performance at my current job by doing the things my boss outlined at my last evaluation better, and then I will aim to raise my salary by 10%.” The latter statement involves very specific points that lead to better results — getting more money.
You will also want to have a savings element. Saving for the future is just as important as making more money. There is only so much income generation that you can do — and you never know what the future will bring. Illness, death, injury and other uncertainties can crop up at any time, leaving you struggling to get things going in a big way.
What else can you do to move your goals forward? Well it never hurts to have someone that is willing to work with you on anything and everything. If you have a spouse, then they can work with you on the things that really matter to you. It might not even be a matter of them making money right alongside you. They might help you support your family while you work, which would help you save on child care costs.
Realistic goals also mean that you save time to have fun as well. There’s no point in working hard if there’s never any reward. It can feel like everything is crashing down on you at once, but you do have to find time to step back and breathe. If you’re always working and you never have any fun, sooner or later that’s going to catch up with you.
Realism implies that your life is definitely in balance. It implies that you have things going on in a good pattern. It means that you can hit your goals and still be able to get everything else done. That’s the best place to be in, when you really think about it — good luck!