How to Set Doable Financial Goals: 4 Tips

If you set financial goals that are way out of your reach, you’re setting yourself up for defeat and disappointment. Rather than curtail your progress with emotional roadblocks, try simplifying your financial goal-setting for this year. These four strategies can help you create goals that are meaningful, motivating, and realistically achievable.

Check in With Your Values

Check in with your values before setting goals. Your business, your finances, and your goals should enable you to have enough of the things you value in your life to feel satisfied. Basing your goals on your values will also give you a clear way to connect with your “money why” and stay motivated when you’re working towards them. 

Set One Goal

Set one goal, not a dozen. This will make it easier to manage and complete the goal. James Clear is a great thinker around goal setting, and brings up the psychological concept of goal competition. “…Your goals are competing with one another for your time and attention. Whenever you chase a new goal, you have to pull focus and energy from your other pursuits….What often looks like a problem of goal setting is actually a problem of goal selection.”

When you cull your goals down to one, you’re able to direct all your focus and effort towards this one goal. Of course, I’m speaking about the general realm of your finances. In reality you’ll of course still have a full and complex life – all the more reason to simplify things and pick one financial goal to focus on! Which brings me to the next point:

Identify Your “One Thing”

Identify the thing to do in your finances that would make everything else easier or irrelevant. This is from Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing. This book carries a similar message to what I wrote above: multi-tasking is actually holding you back from making progress on your goals. Using the question “What is the one thing, such that by doing it, everything else would become easier or irrelevant?” can help you further cull your goals and make space in your finances to get focused. 

Turn Your Goal Into a System

How will you stay on track with your goal? When setting your financial goal, consider how you’ll turn it into action items, and how you’ll complete those action items. Will you set up a time to make progress each week? Will you find a money buddy to work in tandem with? Will you create a special routine for yourself around checking in with your finances daily? 

Carving out regular time to devote effort and attention to your goal is one fo the best ways to actually achieve it. So when setting a goal, keep in mind how likely you are to be able to do this, and how you’ll set up a system for success. If you’d like to work on a financial goal with my guidance, set up a free Financial Self Care Consultation. Click here or below to schedule:

 

This post was originally published in 2022. 

By |2023-01-18T13:42:48-08:00January 18th, 2023|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments
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The Secret to Motivating Yourself to Learn About Finances

If you have a poor relationship with money, it’s going to be hard to talk yourself into how to manage it. Whether you view money as boring or you have a hostile relationship with it, getting financial education is probably one of the last things you’ll want to do.

It’s difficult to be motivated to learn about money if you don’t see how it can bring meaning into your life. Here are a couple of my tips for changing your mindset to see how money can be a positive force for life satisfaction:

Get Honest About Your Relationship With Money

First off, it’s important to get a clear idea of your relationship with money. So, how do you feel about it? What are some beliefs you hold about it? Here’s an excerpt from my article “How Your Relationship With Money Affects Your Finances (and What You Can Do About It)”:

If you want to get a quick pulse on your relationship with money, think about money or say “Money,” out loud to yourself, and then keep track of what emotions come up. More than likely, there will be several that come up in a quick succession: anxiety, avoidance, excitement, compulsion or repulsion, etc.

The goal with this exercise is not to suppress or judge any of the feelings as good or bad. Simply take note of them as they come up. Try this several times to get a full emotional picture.

Once you’ve tried this out, reflect on how your current feelings about money can give you insight into how to improve your relationship with it. I list a couple ideas for doing this in the article mentioned above. 

Brainstorm Your Life Goals

Think about your goals for a moment. What are the most meaningful things you can dream of doing? Maybe you dream of supporting yourself as an artist, building a beautiful home, or going on the adventure of a lifetime.

Those dreams are possible, and they are financeable. Your income can be the financial engine that brings those dreams to life! By reflecting more deeply on your goals and connecting them to your finances, you can begin to more clearly see the equation between money and life satisfaction. 

Get Inspired

Many people are able to do amazing things with money. This is where finding your “money crush” comes in. What’s a money crush? Someone you know, or know of, who handles their finances in a way you admire. This could be somebody you know personally who has the kind of financial setup you want. It could be someone who writes or speaks about money in a way that inspires you. A money crush is essentially somebody who models the things you want for your own financial life.

Try thinking about the most generous people you know. Imagine being able to give like they do, from a place of abundance. One of my personal money crushes and favorite resources on this topic is Lynne Twist’s book, The Soul of Money. Check out my book review if you want more inspiration to improve your relationship with money.

If you enjoyed this article and you want regular tips and insights about doing money in a way that feels meaningful, you’ll probably enjoy being on my newsletter list. Click below to subscribe! 

By |2022-07-07T15:57:16-07:00July 7th, 2022|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Want to Enjoy Your Life? Fund It.

The irony of financial goal setting is that we can get so wrapped up in our big-picture idea of financial success, that we forget to lean into enjoying our lives too. This is a snag that I see many people get stuck on. We focus on purchasing a home or funding our retirement. These financial priorities are great, but they sometimes overshadow something that also takes a bit of cash – having fun!

The Importance of Fun

It seems a bit silly to make a serious case for the importance of enjoying your life, but a lot of us (including me) need that reminder! Right now I’m reading The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price. One of my favorite concepts from this book so far has been Price’s conviction that the moments we are having true fun are the moments we feel most alive.

When it really comes down to it, isn’t that what most of us want anyway? To feel alive in a positive, joyful way? Yes, there’s certainly a lot to be said for achieving goals and getting things done. And, I believe that oftentimes we want to do those things in service to our pursuit of aliveness.

When Fun Costs Money

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might be surprised to see me recommending that you spend money on “fun.” That might even seem contradictory to another concept I like to write about, teasing out your wants from your needs. I particularly like to emphasize the point of finding your “enough,” and of meeting your needs and wants creatively and inexpensively.

Actually, that does apply here. The thing is, being on top of your finances is not about being so frugal that you don’t have any enjoyment in your life. There may be a point where you realize that you truly want something that you know will bring a lot of joy, but also cost money. When you’re setting your financial goals, you can prepare for this and take it into account!

This might be a longterm savings goal, like a trip overseas, or it might be a purchase, like a musical instrument. These things do cost money, but they’re worth it. Including them in your financial planning is an important of remembering to enjoy your life!

Fun Up Your Finances

So, how do we integrate fun into our finances, exactly? My suggestion would be to keep fun in the front of your mind whenever you’re setting new financial goals for yourself. Here are a couple articles of mine on the subject that you might enjoy:

If you enjoyed this article, you’ll probably also enjoy being on my newsletter! Along with weekly blog updates, you’ll also receive my special monthly tailored newsletter. Click below to join us, it’s a good place to be.

By |2022-05-23T11:42:05-07:00May 23rd, 2022|Categories: Money Mindset, Personal Savings, Personal Spending|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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4 Strategies for Setting Doable Financial Goals

If you set financial goals that are way out of your reach, you’re setting yourself up for defeat and disappointment. Rather than curtail your progress with emotional roadblocks, try simplifying your financial goal-setting for this year. These four strategies can help you create goals that are meaningful, motivating, and realistically achievable.

Check in With Your Values

Check in with your values before setting goals. Your business, your finances, and your goals should enable you to have enough of the things you value in your life to feel satisfied. Basing your goals on your values will also give you a clear way to connect with your “money why” and stay motivated when you’re working towards them. 

Set One Goal

Set one goal, not a dozen. This will make it easier to manage and complete the goal. James Clear is a great thinker around goal setting, and brings up the psychological concept of goal competition. “…Your goals are competing with one another for your time and attention. Whenever you chase a new goal, you have to pull focus and energy from your other pursuits….What often looks like a problem of goal setting is actually a problem of goal selection.”

When you cull your goals down to one, you’re able to direct all your focus and effort towards this one goal. Of course, I’m speaking about the general realm of your finances. In reality you’ll of course still have a full and complex life – all the more reason to simplify things and pick one financial goal to focus on! Which brings me to the next point:

Identify Your “One Thing”

Identify the thing to do in your finances that would make everything else easier or irrelevant. This is from Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing. This book carries a similar message to what I wrote above: multi-tasking is actually holding you back from making progress on your goals. Using the question “What is the one thing, such that by doing it, everything else would become easier or irrelevant?” can help you further cull your goals and make space in your finances to get focused. 

Turn Your Goal Into a System

How will you stay on track with your goal? When setting your financial goal, consider how you’ll turn it into action items, and how you’ll complete those action items. Will you set up a time to make progress each week? Will you find a money buddy to work in tandem with? Will you create a special routine for yourself around checking in with your finances daily? 

Carving out regular time to devote effort and attention to your goal is one fo the best ways to actually achieve it. So when setting a goal, keep in mind how likely you are to be able to do this, and how you’ll set up a system for success. If you’d like to work on a financial goal with my guidance, set up a free Financial Self Care Consultation.

☮

Angela

By |2022-01-19T14:45:56-08:00January 19th, 2022|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments
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My Current Financial Goals!

So frequently, I talk about goals and planning and money systems here. But rarely do I share with you what’s going on behind the scenes for me. Today I want to give you all a look into my financial goals, and how systems work in my business.

System at Work

In my own business, I use a money mapping system that helps me allocate funds from my business for different purposes. If you haven’t read my full series on money mapping, I recommend doing so by clicking on the links above. My money mapping system helps me to allocate a portion of the income I make for saving up for my financial goals. I have a habit of over-saving, so it’s important for me to have a system in place that helps me navigate how much to spend and how much to save. If this sounds familiar to you too, check out my article on over-saving, and how overcoming it can help you! Making this discovery has definitely been helpful for me.

Goals: Big and Small

The goals that I’m currently leveraging my money system to save up for range from small things to big life events. Last November, I bought a 2016 Rav-4, so one of the goals I’m working on is paying off my car loan. I am also saving up to do a motorcycle tour of New Zealand! Originally I had a target date for this goal, but now things depend on when COVID-19 is no longer an issue, so things are a bit more flexible. You can read more about my motorcycling journey (and how being a small business owner helped me with that!) here. My last goal has less to do with saving and more with just practicing good financial hygiene. My husband is hoping to retire soon, so we’re keeping an eye on our spending to make sure we can live within our means when that happens!

Hopefully this post has given you a flavor for my goals, and helped you think about what yours might be too! For more help here, check out my article “Know Your Money Why.”

☮
Angela

 

By |2021-04-08T15:21:07-07:00September 3rd, 2020|Categories: Financial Clarity, Personal Savings|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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How Starting My Business Helped Me Live My Motorcycle Dreams

Earlier this month, I completed my fifth annual 1,400-mile cross-country motorcycle road trip. This is my third year riding my own bike, and my third year riding on my dream motorcycle, a red Indian.

I haven’t always been a motorcyclist. The first two years of this trip, I rode on the back of my husband’s bike. But after that second trip, I decided I wanted to learn how to ride. I completed my local motorcycle safety program and got my license. We bought a Honda Rebel 250 and I set a goal to ride my first 500 miles. Then I set my sights on a bigger bike, more mileage, and a longer trip.

Living my motorcycle dreams involved a long process of incremental growth, a flexible schedule, and some money. I had all of these things because I was a seasoned business owner. While I’ve been working under the name At Peace With Money for about three years, I have a much longer history of doing independent bookkeeping work, and before that I ran a jewelry design business. The skills I gained as a solopreneur – dedication, commitment to incremental progress, etc. translated well into becoming a motorcyclist.

I also have a flexible schedule as a solopreneur, which meant I could find the time during the week for lessons and rides. And I had the ability to pay for a course, because of my financial savvy in my own business experiences. I find that solopreneurship can be full of valuable lessons, and can give you the skillsets and necessary resources to accomplish the things you’ve dreamed up. That’s why my objective with At Peace With Money is to help solopreneurs align their business profits with their life goals; because I think it’s 100% possible!

I hope this little pep-talk give you a dose of inspiration for the week. Think of a dream you’ve always had. How could you orient your business to focus on achieving it? You might also like to read How to Start a Goal-Based Business for more thoughts on this subject.

☮
Angela

 

By |2021-04-08T15:25:45-07:00August 28th, 2020|Categories: Money Mindset, Small Business, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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There is No Wrong Choice

When you run your own business, you make a lot of decisions, mostly on your own. That grants you enormous freedom, but also leaves you with immense responsibility. This responsibility often hangs over our heads: what if we don’t make the right choice? We stall the flow of our businesses by avoiding tough decisions.

I, for one, have definitely struggled with this. When I was running my jewelry business as a full time project, I often put off making decisions. My avoidance of them was fear-based and emotional. I felt like I had to nail every choice and do everything by myself. Not having anyone else to bounce my ideas off of left me frozen and fearful. You can read more about my experience running my jewelry business here. 

Since then, one of my major breakthroughs was realizing that there is no wrong decision. No matter what I decide to do in my business, I am always able to learn from that choice. If something I do turns out to be a mistake, I find a way to recover and learn not to repeat the misstep. However, I find that the vast majority of choices I make in my business are not typically so high-stakes. Often, I’m making choices about how to utilize social media, what to include in a proposal to a client, etc. I can agonize over the details, but at the end of the day, every choice I make is just another step in a larger experiment: my business! And the purpose of my business is to support me and my life goals – the choices I make within it don’t need to be stressful or fear-fraught.

What are some strategies that could help you breeze through decision making with your business? Perhaps you can get comfortable trying out systems and ideas on a trial basis. Maybe it would be helpful for you to find an accountability buddy to talk to and discuss ideas with. Perhaps hiring on an employee or contractor and delegating some of your workload can take some of the pressure off. It could be helpful to journal and investigate the fear or emotions that are blocking you from making a decision. Simply approaching your business with the mindset that you can learn from all your choices can also help alleviate this.

Making decisions in your business confidently and with an air of curiosity and experimentation can make your business more fun for you. And really, isn’t that what we want?

I hope this post inspired you to go forth confidently and make any moves you’ve been stalling. Go get ’em, tiger! If you find you could benefit from an accountability partner and you’d like guidance around your financial systems, I absolutely love to support solopreneurs around these things. Head on over to my Services page, and schedule a call with me.

☮

Angela

Image Source: Amy Shamblen

 

By |2019-06-14T17:45:47-07:00June 14th, 2019|Categories: Financial Clarity, Money Mindset, Small Business, solopreneurs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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