It’s a lot harder to get somewhere in life if you don’t know where you want to go…no Definiteness of Purpose.
Take some time and think about what you really want in life. When you know, the wind will start blowing.
Tag Archives: Goals
Major Definite Purpose
It is said widely that ninety-five percent of the people of the world drift through life aimlessly without definite purposes for their lives.
Psychological reason for having a definite purpose in life implies that one’s actions are determined by the thoughts of one’s mind. Therefore, if you deliberately hold your definite purpose in your mind with the expectation of it realization, this will permeate your subconscious mind to the point where it will automatically influence the actions needed to achieve your definite purpose.
Once you determine your definite purpose, make sure that it is well-defined. You must write it down and place it where you can see it as soon as you open your eyes in the morning and the last thing that you see before you close your eyes at night.
An excerpt from Brian Tracy’s “Goals”
Your major definite purpose can be defined as the one goal that is most important to you at the moment. It is usually the one goal that will help you to achieve more of your other goals than anything else you can accomplish. It must have the following characteristics:
- It must be something that you really want. Your desire for this goal must be so intense that the very idea of achieving your major purpose excites you and makes you happy.
- It must be clear and specific. You must be able to define it in words. You must be able to write it down with such clarify that a child could read it and know exactly what it is that you want and be able to determine whether or not you have achieved it.
- It must be measurable and quantifiable. Rather than “I want to make a lot of money,” it must be more like “I will earn $100,000 per year by (a specific date).”
- It must be both believable and achievable. Your major definite purpose cannot be so big or so ridiculous that it is completely unattainable.
- Your major definite purpose should have a reasonable probability of success, perhaps fifty-fifty when you begin. Set huge, audacious goals, and you will still be motivated to take the steps necessary to achieve them. But in the beginning, set goals that are believable and achievable and that have a high probability of success so that you can be assured of winning right from the start.
- Your major definite purpose must be in harmony with your other goals. You cannot want to be financially successful in your career on the one hand and play golf most of the time on the other. Your major definite purpose must be in harmony with your minor goals and congruent with your values.
“Decide now what you desire from life and what you have to give in return.”
To achieve success, you have know exactly what you want and what you are willing to give-up in return….success is a two-way street.
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Working on Your Goals and Expressing Gratitude Everyday
“With whatever you are struggling to master in your life, create a small habit or routine that gets you one step closer to it each and every day. ” Brendon Burchard
Now more than ever is the time to really appreciate the small, meaningful moments in life. It’s time you stop waiting for ” the anvil of purpose” to fall onto your head and suddenly everything, like life’s vision, purpose and meaning, become clear!
Instead, sit down with yourself and really think about what that purpose, that meaning, that vision for your life can really be.
There is no better time than the present to start this journey of self-exploration and find the ways in which you can truly feel alive, fulfilled, and happy in this life.
Thus, it’s important to make getting better everyday and self-improvement a way of life. It’s important to:
- Begin the journey to think about and clarify your life’s vision, purpose and meaning.
- Focus more on expressing gratitude and incorporating everyday wins back into your week and taking the time to appreciate them and let them sink in.
- Focus more on your habits and long-term goals, and connecting back to your vision and purpose.
In the past, how many times did you achieve something or have special moments with your kids, spouse or friends, only to quickly move on to the next thing?
Life is so short to breeze by these special moments and not appreciate them. Really take the time to feel the day and fill your heart with gratitude. You’ll be happier too!
There’s still time to reclaim your day and schedule activities that add real value and meaning back into your routine. By pursuing your dream for 2 minutes or even 30 minutes every single day.
Don’t wait until next weekend when you might have the time for your goals and vision. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and that big dream of yours isn’t going to materialize if you keep pushing it off.
Break down your big audacious goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. Work on your goals every single day and you will move the needle in your progress and success.
Additionally, if you want to achieve your goals, you should develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset allows you to explore more, take more risks, try new things, and grow more into what you’re capable.
The Power of Reflection
Clarity only happens when you reflect on your long term goals, habits and relationships — daily. It might be time to take a hard, unflinching look at your own performance in these important areas of your life.
When you live a life with intention each day, that brings about true purpose and meaning to your life. And when your days are filled with more purpose and meaning — more happiness and fulfillment tends to follow. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? To live a happy, purposeful and meaningful life.
Personal growth, goals and purpose are things that must be worked on everyday, otherwise you will lose touch with them.
Your Wealth Building and Financial Freedom Coach,
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Small, daily actions can gather momentum to become an unstoppable force of change.
- Outcome – goals and vision
- Process – habits and systems
- Identity – mindset, beliefs and thoughts
It’s not too late to prioritize your health and wellness, explains Brendon Burchard,
! If you haven’t already, put your health at the forefront and do everything you can to get your healthy eating, sleep, and exercise routine in place. Because small, daily actions can gather momentum to become an unstoppable force of change.
Investing Involves Decision Making
Investing involves decision-making. But not making those investing decisions can be a more costly move in itself.
Choosing to invest your money in the stock market is like picking your first tattoo. The stakes are high and all the available options can seem overwhelming to your senses. Thankfully, there is an an abundant amount of good financial services, resources and advice available to help you avoid making a mistake mistake and to get you started.
There is truly no time like the present to start investing. Because the sooner you start, the more time your money has to grow and the more potential you have to earn, because of the power of compound interest. This is when your money earns money on itself and grows exponentially.
But, growth isn’t always guaranteed. Investing means taking in a certain amount of risk since the market moves in cycles. Although investing comes with some risk, it doesn’t have to feel like a high-stakes gamble.
Rest assured, historically, stocks have bounced back from every downturn in history. And, then continued to climb. Investing consistently overtime can make it easier to ride out the market volatility, the ups and downs.
The first step is determining what you want your future to look like financially in retirement. Retirement is probably your most important and expensive goal, and a good place to start.
It’s important to build a portfolio based on your time horizon, how you want to invest, how comfortable you’re with risk and what you plan to use your investment earnings are for. But, you must get started.
Ready, set, go(als).
Investing could help you owe the IRS less during tax time. For example, you have until the tax filing deadline each year to open and fund an IRA, which could help you claim an extra deduction.
Harvesting losses in your brokerage account could help you reduce your capital gains taxes for the year.
If you want more control over your investment portfolio, self-directed investing is the way to go. Self-directed investing is for people at all experience levels.
However, if you prefer a hands-off approach, financial advisors or automated robo-advisors can help you capture your financial goals and tailor an investment portfolio to achieve your financial goals, complete with regular rebalancing.
But, before you jump headfirst into investing your money, it’s wise to assess your present financial status first (your cash flow and net worth) and make sure you’ve got a solid savings foundation to build on.
Finding a balance between saving your money and building wealth through investing for your future is not rocket science. It is simple to build savings and help take the fear and uncertainty out of investing.
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Habits and System Building
“Your system is the collection of daily habits.” James Clear
Behaviors and Beliefs are a two way Street, says James Clear, author of “Atomic Habit”. Effectively, the way you act influences what you believe about yourself; what you believe about yourself influences the actions you take and the manner in which you behave. But, you should let the behavior lead the way, explains Clear.
Every action you take on a daily basis is a vote regarding the person you are currently and want to become in the future. Everyday you’re casting votes to become the person you see yourself. Habits matter because they reenforce the person you want to become.
Build a system.
You want to focus on developing a process / building a system or achieving a goal or outcome. You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fail to the level of your system. Building the system — the way you prepare — that executes on achieving your goals is what is important. The system is what gets you closer to your destination. Ask yourself what you’re optimizing for?
Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits you follow. Your system is your collection of daily habits you follow. Your current daily habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results. Over a long period of time, your life bends towards your system, or collection of habits.
The purpose of habits:
Habits are the autopilot mode that your brain goes into when completing repetitive tasks, according to James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits”. For example, driving to work, the first time you do it, it may be confusing and stressful but after a few weeks your mind is just going through the motions, explains Clear.
Not having a grasp on your habits means not having control of your life and outcomes…consider:
- No financial habits = living pay check to paycheck.
- No healthy food and exercise habits = lacking energy and good health.
Without good habits, you will always be behind the curve. Success in your life and finances depends on the effectiveness of your habits and systems.
- Your system for reading might be to read at least 1 page before bed every night.
- Your system for exercising might be to do at least 5 minutes of bodyweight exercise every morning.
- Your system for healthy eating might be to eat at least 1 apple every day for lunch.
- Habits are the “compound interest”of self-improvement.
The bigger your systems, the bigger your results. Systems are the vehicles that are going to take you to your goals—your goals are simply the destination. Effectively, you don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.
If you want to change the world and do big things, the actions you’re doing every day, your habits, are what are going to get you there. That’s where the things happens.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”James Clear
Showing up each day and making one small choice or trying to do something in a slightly better way, and then watching that compound and multiply over time. In life, changes may seem relatively small and insignificant on a daily basis, but over 10 or 20 or 30 years, small choices and changes can make meaningful difference.
What starts out small and seems relatively insignificant, grows and accumulates into something bigger.
Your mindsets and your systems can set us up for success. It is important to understand the importance of consistency when it comes to forming habits that last.
“Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years”, says Clear. “We all deal with setbacks, but in the long run, the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits. With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. With better habits, anything is possible.”
Small incremental changes can end in massive results. Small improvements day by day will result in a huge compounding effect, says Clear.
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Goal Setting and Accomplishment
“Since “someday” never appears on the calendar, our good intentions don’t turn into action until we create deadlines.” Amy Morin
A staggering 92 percent of Americans that set New Year’s resolution goals never actually accomplish them, according to research by the University of Scranton.
But, when people followed two simple concepts — setting specific and challenging goals — it led to higher accomplishment of goals 90 percent of the time, according to research by Dr Edwin Locke and Dr Gary Latham. Basically, the more specific and challenging the goals you set, the higher your motivation toward hitting them while your easy or vague goals rarely get met.
Here’s an example: If your goal between now and the end of the year is to, say, lose 20 pounds, that may be challenging, but it’s not specific enough.
It’s essential to eliminate vagueness and make it more achievable by stating it in a more detailed manner: During the month of August, I will lose five pounds by cutting off refined sugar, breads, and all fast food. I will also walk briskly for twenty minutes every day.
On the flip side, goals that are too difficult to accomplish don’t get met either. While it’s important to challenge yourself, nobody completes a goal when he/she is overwhelmed by the magnitude and difficulty in accomplishing the goal.
If you find yourself with such a scenario, break down your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) into smaller bites you can actually chew. Use the same process of defining specific and challenging marks to hit when mapping out the smaller goals that will lead you to your final destination.
Additionally, those who succeed at accomplishing their BHAG, they tend to want it badly. So, it’s essential to determine what is your level of commitment? Are you totally committed to reaching your goal even when obstacles occur along the way? Are you committed to “do whatever it takes” to reach your destination. And, do you have the desire or passion to pursue the goal to reach it.
According to Locke and Latham’s research, there are five goal setting principles that can improve dramatically your chances of accomplishing your goals:
- Setting Clear Goals. Write your goal down and be as detailed as possible. Use SMART, and consider putting your goal into the form of a personal mission statement for added clarity. Think about how you’ll measure your success toward this goal.
- Setting Challenging Goals. Look at your goal. Is it challenging enough to spark your interest Also, identify ways that you can reward yourself when you make progress. Incremental rewards for reaching specific milestones will motivate you to work through challenging tasks.
- Staying Committed. Stay committed by using visualization techniques to imagine how your life will look once you’ve achieved your goal.
- Gaining Feedback. Schedule time once a week to analyze your progress and accomplishments. Look at what has and hasn’t worked, and make adjustments along the way.
- Considering Complexity. Break large, complex goals down into smaller sub-goals. This will stop you feeling overwhelmed, and it will make it easier to stay motivated.
“Even if your goal is something that will take a long time to reach — like saving enough money for retirement — you’re more likely to take action if you have time limits in the present. Create target dates to reach your objectives. Find something you can do this week to begin taking some type of action now.” Amy Morin, Psychotherapist and author of ’13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do’
Additionally, the following strategies can increase your likelihood of accomplishing your goals:
- Break goals into manageable chunks. If you only focus on the big picture, it’s easy to put things off until later. But, if you break those goals down into smaller, more manageable objectives such as, you can start tackling and accomplishing the manageable chunks today.
- Establish “now” deadlines. Even if your goal is something that will take a long time to reach – like saving enough money for retirement – you’re more likely to take action if you have time limits in the present. Create target dates to reach your objectives. Find something you can do this week to begin taking some type of action now. For example, decide “I will create a budget by Thursday,” or “I will lose two pounds in seven days.”
- Turn abstract ideas into concrete action steps. Abstract ideas encourage inactivity. Saying, “I’d like to be healthier,” won’t help you reach those goals. Establish concrete action steps that you can start doing today. For example, decide that you’re going to take a class, read a book, or conduct 30 minutes of research each day. Identify behavioral changes that you can begin working on immediately and you’ll be more likely to turn your abstract ideas into reality.
Identify some of those goals and dreams that you’ve always wanted to work on but just never had the motivation to start. Look for strategies that will help you view those goals in terms of the present and you’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll start taking steps to turn those dreams into a reality, explains Amy Morin
Goal setting is something that many of us recognize as a vital part of achieving success in the areas of health, wealth and emotional well-being. Understandably, goal-setting research confirms the usefulness of SMART goal setting.
To use the results of the research, you must set clear, challenging goals and commit yourself to achieving them. Be sure to get regular feedback on your progress towards achieving your goals. Also, consider the complexity, and break your goals down into smaller chunks, where appropriate.
If you follow these simple rules, your goal setting will be much more successful, and your overall performance and accomplishment rate will improve.
The path to building wealth and financial freedom is paved with goals!!!
References:
- https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/science-says-92-percent-of-people-dont-achieve-goals-heres-how-the-other-8-perce.html
- https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/09/04/study-the-secret-to-ending-procrastination-is-changing-the-way-you-think-about-deadlines/
Prioritize Your Happiness
Prioritize. Spend on the things and on the activities that make you the happiest.
Most people spend their lives sacrificing their own happiness either because of career pursuits or chasing riches. You fail to realize how important it is to value your own happiness and taking care of yourself.
As a result, you unconsciously stumble into a busy and fast paced lifestyle. And, there never seems to be enough time to do the important things you really want, like exercising, hanging out with friends, or attending a wealth seminar. Yet, with so much already on your plate, how can you fit it all in?
In Work Less, Live More (Nolo Press, 2007), Bob Clyatt argues that you can make time for fun stuff. The secret, he says, is prioritizing:
“Imagine you have an empty jar, a collection of a few large rocks, and several handfuls of gravel. Your task is to put all the large and small rocks into the jar. One approach would be to pile all the gravel first, but doing so would leave room for only one or two of the large rocks; you wouldn’t get everything to fit. Switch your approach and put the large rocks in first, and you’ll find that the gravel will all fit nicely around the empty space. If a bit of gravel doesn’t fit at the end, you’ve not lost much.
Let too many little things take priority, and there never seems to be time for the big things. Consider the Big Rocks to be really important things you want to accomplish in life, the things that define you. Get the big things in first, work on the right projects and priorities, and let the little stuff fit in around the edges. Let your Big Rocks be non-negotiable priorities in your weekly calendar—and learn to say “no” when other things begin to intrude. Then fit those other things in where you can.
So if exercising makes you happy, schedule your exercise—and then fit the rest of your life around them. Don’t ignore your obligations, but make the stuff you have to do fit around the stuff you want to do, not the other way around.”
What you buy matters too in making you happy. You are happier when you use your money to buy experiences rather than things and when you use your money to help others. So the next time you are feeling down, buy a trip to the spa or donate to a charity.
Thus, your happiness lies in things that you love to so. Therefore, it is important to find time to do all the activities that bring joy to your life. You must prioritize taking time out of your day to spend time on your favorite activities and hobbies that makes you feel refreshed and content.
Bottomline, each day is a new opportunity for you to choose to live a life filled with purpose and happiness. You must consciously and intentionally prioritize to be happy on a daily basis. Otherwise, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut for months or even years.
“Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your happiness and health first before you can be of use to anyone else.” ~Simon Sinek
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Persistence and Perseverance
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
Calvin Coolidge
“Three simple rules in life and habits…Go, Ask, and Do:
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If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it.
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If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.
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If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.”
Austin Miller, VP of Talent Management at Sorenson Capital Partners
Life on the Edge
“As you get older, the days go by quicker and you need to make the time count.” Mary Peachin, Octogenarian
As you age, it becomes more important to “live each day right to the limit”, states octogenarian Mary Peachin, in Costco Connection magazine, September 2021, Members Connection. Peachin has “walk the talk” and lived her life as a self proclaim world-traveling, deep sea diving adrenaline junkie. “If your body aches, you ignore it and keep on trucking”, she preaches.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, do not take no for an answer. You should expect and intend to live a life well lived and always believe the best is yet to come
“Life is too short not to enjoy it.”
Make your life happen and take action today. Be amongst the few who dared to live their dreams. Live your life in such a way that there is no regret.
Time is short; live every day for a higher purpose. Let’s invest the limited time we have on your life’s purpose and mission. Do not focus on your problems and challenges; instead focus on purpose and destination.
Life is brief and it passes quickly. The average American male lives to be 70 years 4 months. The average American female lives 70 years 4 months. To live life to its fullest, it is not the quantity of your life, but the quality.
Time is running out for all of us.
“Your job will not take care of you when your elderly and sick, your friends and family will.”
- Select a few friends to be close to in your life and communicate and strengthen your relationship with them
- Get over those who disappoint you and refuse to let those people steal your joy
- Lift up and encourage those who are recovering from failure. Treat people with Grace.
- Ignore your critics. Decide to see the good in the experience and growth, the lessons you learned and the relationships you made.
- Stay fully focused on your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Believe the best! Christ teaches us to believe the best…faith, hope and love. Remember to rejoice and be glad. If God is for us, who can be against us!
The most effective way to live life on the edge is to “find an edge and Live there”, states Peachin. And, you can start to “find an edge” by writing down your dreams and priorities in life, and then focusing on fulfilling those written dreams and priorities. It starts with knowing what you want, and it ends with getting what you wanted. It’s often that simple.
Save for and invest in the things that matter most!
In every positive or negative situation, there are always options. Remember you are the one pulling the strings, and when things look hopeless, it’s because you’re choosing not look at the things that truly matter. You’re choosing to see the the bad stuff, and they have little to do with your ability to change your circumstances. The trick is that you have to see the ocean of opportunity, not that little bucket of water (problems) that you tripped over.
We must decide to see the good and not dwell on the failure, but instead focus on the positives from the experience. Limits do not exist. You have weaknesses of course and we all do, but focus on your strengths. Remember if you’re feeling scared and fearful, it means you’re trying something new.
People don’t run marathons because it feels good.
When you feel bad about your situation, you’re thinking about the mistakes of yesterday, and not the opportunity of right now and the hope for tomorrow. You’re thinking about what has and what can go wrong, and not what can go right.
When you’re feeling defeated and discouraged, ascertain what you’re really focusing on. It important to focus on how far you’ve come, the opportunities that lie ahead, and the resources available you have to go forward.
“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.” Oprah Winfrey
Always think bigger and focus on your purpose. Build the world as you want it to be.
References:
- Costco Connection, September 2021, Vol. 36, No. 9, pg. 119
- https://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-ways-to-live-your-life-to-the-fullest/
“Those who are the happiest are not necessarily those for whom life has been easiest. Emotional stability results from an attitude. It is refusing to yield to depression and fear, even when black clouds float overhead. It is improving that which can be improved and accepting that which is inevitable.” ― James C. Dobson, Life on the Edge: The Next Generation’s Guide to a Meaningful Future
Choosing a Financial Advisor
Choosing a financial advisor is a major life decision that can potentially determine your financial net worth trajectory for years to come.
A 2020 Northwestern Mutual study found that 71% of U.S. adults admit their financial planning needs improvement. However, only 29% of Americans work with a financial advisor.
The value of working with a financial advisor varies by person and advisors are legally prohibited from promising returns, but research suggests people who work with a financial advisor feel more at ease about their finances and could end up with about 15% more money to spend in retirement, according to SmartAsset.com.
A recent Vanguard study found that, on average, a $500K investment would grow to over $3.4 million under the care of an advisor over 25 years, whereas the expected value from self-management would be $1.69 million, or 50% less. In other words, an advisor guided portfolio would average 8% annualized growth over a 25-year period, compared to 5% from a self-managed portfolio.
But, it essential that you do your homework in selecting a financial advisor. There are several key questions to ask and factors to consider regarding anyone who may advise you in money matters:
- What’s your philosophy of investing?” If they can’t articulate their philosophy in a few simple paragraphs, in plain English, then keep looking.
- “What has been one of your greatest triumphs in the market? And what was the decision making that brought you to it? What did you learn from the process?” Then ask, “What about one of your biggest mistakes? What went wrong and what did you learn from it?”
- “What do you own yourself? Where do you put your own money?”
- Hire an advisor who is a Fiduciary. By definition, a fiduciary is an individual who is ethically bound to act in another person’s best interest. This obligation eliminates conflict of interest concerns and makes an advisor’s advice more trustworthy.
- Pick an advisor with an compatible strategy. Each advisor has a unique strategy. Some advisors may suggest aggressive investments, while others are more conservative. If you prefer to go all-in on stocks, an advisor that prefers bonds and index funds is not a great match for your style.
- Ask about credentials. To give investment advice, financial advisors are required to pass a test. Ask your advisor about their licenses, tests, and credentials. Financial advisors tests include the Series 7, and Series 66 or Series 65. Some advisors go a step further and become a Certified Financial Planner, or CFP.
Many people who want to oversee and manage your money probably don’t have significant assets of their own. You would want a money manager to have skin in the game, to be eating their own cooking.
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