Do you have financial goals or life goals?
If we have understood the importance of setting goals at all, then most of us have both, of course.
Financial goals are fine. I have several myself: very specific, time related goals (e.g. I want to be earning X amount of £s by such and such a date).
But let us not get stuck on money as its own object.
What is money, after all? Bits of paper and numbers on a bank statement.
Who can get passionate about that?
No, the most powerful goals that we really need to be aiming for are the things that money can bring us.
When we say “I want to make money”, what we are really saying is, I want the things I can get with money that I don’t have now.
These things may be a new car, house, clothes etc - but even these things have deeper goals behind them. I can think of five basic things that money can bring:
1. Self expression (e.g. with a car, clothes etc)
2. The ability to do the things I want (e.g. holidays, hobbies)
3. Security (e.g. freedom from anxiety and worries)
4. Environment (e.g. choosing where I live)
5. Contribution (e.g. giving to our family, friends, the world)
And even these things can be summed up in one word: FREEDOM.
When we really look at our reasons for wanting money and success, what we really want is Freedom - either the freedom to live the life we want, the freedom to choose - or the freedom of not having to worry about bills, mortgages, or both.
So when you are setting your financial goals, think beyond just how much money you want, think about how your life will be when you have freedom. Money is just a tool that brings you the freedom to be who you really are.
Now, being who you really want to be…
Isn’t that something to get passionate about?
Ros Bott
March 6th, 2008 at 6:19 am
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Tom Humes