Changing Your Financial Life

Although you can find a wide variety of personal finance guides and other self-help books, the key to financial success is already inside you: You not only have to want to succeed; you must be willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals. 

When I was a boy, my grandpa told me much the same thing, though it took me a while to appreciate the soundness of his advice. 

At the time, I was dissatisfied with some of the personal choices I had made, and, as was often the case, my grandpa was the one who lent a sympathetic ear. 

He told me simply, “If you don’t like your life, change it.” It’s a simple concept, but I’ve been able to apply it to my personal, familiar, and professional life with some success. And I’m not the only one.

Financial success can be attributed to challenging one’s boundaries of comfort. If you keep doing what's ordinary, your results will be just that ordinary. 

So how can you do something extraordinary? Here are a couple of tips.

•  First, educate yourself. Naturally, as a personal finance educator, I agree with this 100%. Before setting out to achieve a goal, look at how others have achieved something similar and find out how they did it. You must become familiar with the goals that you want to achieve. If you want to own a home, study the housing market. If you want to invest, study the stock market. 
• Second, team up. Find someone who's on the path you want to pursue and have a conversation with them. In the era of social media, this is easier than ever. In my time online, I've met several people via social media whose insights I find to be both valuable and necessary for growth.
•  Third, create a plan. Following a well-defined path often makes it easier to bring about change. In doing so, you create accountability. The benefit here is that this sense of accountability will help motivate you to reach your goals.
• Finally, take small steps. You need to be able to walk before you can run, and taking small steps if you’re contemplating significant changes can dramatically improve your chances for success. Even though a task may seem difficult, breaking it down into smaller steps usually makes it easier to achieve. Eventually, all your small steps will culminate in the achievement of your goal. 

Take a moment to ask yourself what your financial goals are, and how you might go about reaching them. 

Working seven days a week for nine years won’t be on your list, but what can you do today to change it tomorrow? 

The answers may surprise you, and don’t be afraid of a little self-sacrifice.