Financial Planning 101 With Julius #13
In 2022, Change One Thing to Assure You Reach New Heights
Your habits make all the difference in the world
What you do consistently, without hesitation, when it’s time to complete that action or task is what gets done. There’s an old saying what gets measured gets done. There’s room for that theory in this examination as well, but what if you are doing the wrong things? Are they taking you in the wrong direction?
There’s another saying that it takes 13 attempts to change a habit before a new habit can form. But how long are you taking in-between time to have a new attempt? Are you even making an attempt to change? Finally, have you even considered that change is necessary?
As you ponder your new year’s resolutions and come up with your list of things to do, before you begin writing, ask yourself this simple question: “What is it about my life that I can change that would help me to live my best life?” The two most frequent answers generally center on fitness and finances. Those are the two most common new year’s resolutions.
- I want to lose weight
- I want to save more money
- Whatever else appears on your list
As you commit these things to paper where they become SMART goals, you must ask yourself a few more questions. Is my goal specific? Is it measurable (what is the timeline for accomplishing the goal)? It is attainable? If I want to save $1,000 over the next year, will I actually have $38.46 per payday to put away (if you get 26 paydays in one year). The formula is to divide $1,000 by the number of paydays. If you get paid weekly, you’d have to stash away $19.23 per payday for 52 weeks, to meet that goal. Is that doable? If so, then your goal is attainable. If it is attainable, then it may be realistic. And the one-year timeframe makes your goal time specific. You, therefore, have a SMART goal.
You can also focus on your fitness goals. Nevertheless, the premise of the story is to change your habits. If you change your old habits, you give yourself an opportunity to accelerate your life. No matter the goal, before you embark on pursuing it, take a look at your habits. If your habits haven’t changed, you may be pursuing a goal with habits that won’t be conducive to achieving the goals.
If you can change your mindset, which will allow you to win with your habits, then you are safely on your way to successfully obtaining your new SMART goals.
About the Author
Julius Evans has a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, RI; a Master of Arts degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ; a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from City University, Bellevue, WA, and an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies from Central Texas College, Killeen, Texas. He is a 1985 graduate of the Defense Information School (DINFOS) of Print and Electronic Journalism and Advanced Public Affairs. DINFOS was relocated from Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, IN, to its current location at Fort George Meade, MD.
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