by Joyce M. George-Knight

Created on: December 31, 2009

Applaud yourself for setting goals. It is truly amazing the number of individuals who never think about goals. Most of them simply take it one-day-at-a-time. If this is your first conscious effort to set goals, you will soon discover that you grow as a person intellectually, spiritually and emotionally through attaining them. Now, let's back up a wee bit and talk about setting goals

Set a Goal. Goals can be anything from changing a habit, to obtaining a college degree, climbing the corporate ladder to a specific level, getting married, becoming a parent, making a purchase, etc., etc. The choices are endless and you certainly may have several goals - long-term and short-term going simultaneously.

Specific Goal.  For this example, we'll say that you want to purchase a brand new automobile, but you don't want high monthly payments. First decide if the car is a necessity or a want, and whether or not it is a wise decision at this time. If yes, move on toward checking out various car dealers to locate the most for the least amount of bucks. Get a photo of the exact automobile that you've narrowed your choices down to. Tape it to a sheet of paper. Write the date you wish to make that purchase. Place that goal-reminder in a place that you will view it daily and serve as your motivation.

Steps to Take.  You'll need to prepare a budget that allows you to set aside as much money as sensible toward your goal. Examine all the ways you spend money unnecessarily. This could be that daily morning cup of coffee, when making it at home costs only a few cents a day; make and take your lunch instead of dining out; make a list of errands to run and do them in an organized manner to eliminate wasted gasoline, and purchase generic brands instead of name brands. Every day, put the money that you would have spent on those items into a "Car" jar or container of some kind. Just for the fun of it, tally up the savings at the end of the week, then two weeks, three weeks, a month, etc.  What an eye-opener it will be. After it's reached  $50 or more, open a high-interest account in a bank or lending institution that will be strictly for the purpose of saving money for your new car purchase.

Tell Others Your Goal. Share this project that you are undertaking with others. This will make it real, plus it will give you incentive to be diligent with the steps you've outlined for yourself. Who knows, some may even contribute their extra pennies. Don't laugh. Pennies add up

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