if you missed out on the beginning of this series last week, be sure to go HERE.
once you have figured out what is most important to you, the next step is to set a few small goals based on your values. no matter where you are financially, setting small goals that focus on what you feel is most important will help you stay motivated and on the right track.
start small and set one small goal per week so that you don't become overwhelmed and discouraged. if you know there is no way you are going to be able to accomplish something, DON'T try to force yourself to do it by writing it down as one of your goals. you will be setting yourself up for failure right from the beginning.
let's take a look at my values again...
here are my goals for the next week:
family: play the harry potter xbox game. my kids have been asking me for awhile to play the xbox harry potter game with them. i have been putting it off.
faith: read my daily word bible at least once a day. i always feel so much better when i read my bibles.
financial independence: put $5 in savings and don't touch it. seems like a ridiculous amount, but with a recent vacation and a new AC unit in our future, our funds are low. gotta start somewhere, right?
health: exercise for 20 minutes at least one time. i was doing good for awhile, but then i fell off the wagon. time to get back on!
simplicity: swish and swipe 2 times. one of my least favorite chores is the bathroom. swishing the toilet brush around and wiping off the counter once every few days will save me time and make cleaning the bathroom later a breeze.
right now, because i have six children and jason has been gone for 3 months (he's out of town AGAIN but will be back this sunday), our yard has been totally neglected. we are the neighbors other neighbors talk about. the grass is seriously about 3 feet tall, there are weeds even taller, bushes that resemble monsters from the deep, and even a dead tree that was killed by a bag worm invasion (yes, ewww gross, i know!) rather than telling ourselves we need to get out there and get that yard in shape, we will set small goals and work our way back to a healthy, nice looking yard.
financial guru, dave ramsey has a wonderful explanation about starting with the small bills when it comes to paying off debt. he says that if you start by paying off the $50 bill you owe first, you will see results quicker and feel motivated to keep going. however if you, try to tackle that $5,000 credit card bill first, it will take way to long to pay it off, you WILL get frustrated, and you WILL FAIL. the same principle can be applied when setting your goals.
are you starting to see where the two come together?
START SMALL. set small goals.
in a blog post, share your values again and one small goal you want to tackle for each one in the next week.
