How many of us have a desire to say these words? We go about our daily lives paying for houses, cars, utilities, student loans, etc…, always wondering if we will ever be able to say these famous words, “take this job and shove it!” Most people dream about saying those words, but in reality, only a small portion of us get to say it and actually mean it.
Retirement for most is a dream that may never be fulfilled. What if I were to tell you that retirement is possible? The only thing holding us back from fulfilling this retirement dream is ourselves. If retirement is something that we truly desire there are some things we can do today to start down this path.
- Make a decision – Making a decision that retirement is something we desire is the first step. The decision that we want to have some influence over what our retirement looks like, and mean it. Having the burning desire to achieve our long term financial goals. Saying it and meaning it lets us know we are ready to make the necessary changes in our lives that will allow us to get out of debt and be able to save for our future. The combination of making this decision and our burning desire is the necessary spark needed to make our dream become a reality; this is where true change starts to take place.
If you have this strong desire building inside of you, it’s time to start!! Don’t delay another minute and get your financial house in order and live out your dreams.
- Create a plan – Creating a plan provides you with step by step instructions on how to reach your end goal, in this case our end goal is retirement. This plan needs to be a realistic plan! Some of these changes in your plan could be cancelling Cable / Satellite TV, cancelling our streaming package, going out to eat only once a week instead of 4, etc… Remember, whatever we stop can be added back in later! We are only stopping it for a season while we get our financial house in order.
No, winning the lottery is NOT a plan! : )
If you struggle here you aren’t alone, creating this plan can be daunting and difficult, but once completed your clouded vision starts to clear. If this is something you struggle with, REACH OUT, we can help. : )
- Follow your plan – Yes, here is where we put in the work. We have our plan and now we need to stick to it. It’s important to stick to our plan even if we don’t feel like we are seeing progress. Remember, this is NOT a quick fix; this is a LONG term plan. We need the help of our good friend Compound Interest to grow your retirement nest egg. Having a person who can help hold you accountable is going to be important. This person CANNOT be your shopping buddy! Your shopping buddy will throw wrinkles into your goals if your purchases aren’t planned. The accountability person needs to be somebody who has a strong desire to see you succeed in your plan.
- Enjoy – This part is essential! Enjoy watching your plan work and build in small celebrations along the way. Building in these small celebrations will allow you to enjoy working your plan as you move towards your end goal….. RETIREMENT!!
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