by Rachel Stacey

Created on: November 19, 2010

We all know that saving money for the future is an important and necessary goal. But how many of us hate the words budget or cutting back? What sounds more appealing: formulating a budget or dwelling on our goals and dreams? They both go hand in hand, really. So let's chalk it all up to perspective. Simply allowing ourselves to dwell on our dreams and goals for awhile before getting down to hashing out a budget to make all of our wishes come true, almost turns the word budget into a magical formula. There are a couple of key points that can help us plan for our future, develop clear goals, save money and stick to it!

Creating a vision and maintaining your vision

Many people fail to stick to a budget and save money because they lose sight of what they are working toward. This is so easy to do! Just think about it. How many times have you given up on a diet? Or been unable to give up a bad habit? Creating a vision that is strong enough to spur changes in us and improve our ability to stick to it is so important. Your vision could be anything from buying a new home to having a completely new improved lifestyle to debt-free living. When planning ones future, everyones goals will be a bit different.

So you've created your vision, you are super motivated, you've got this in the bag, right? Wrong! Creating a vision is the easy part. Maintaining the vision is the hard part. Short term goals are usually easily reached. Why is that so? Because they remain forefront in our minds. Long term goals are easy to lose track of. Sometimes we allow other things to take priority over these goals. The key here is to find a system that works for you in keeping the vision forefront in your mind. There are several ways of doing this.

First, enlist some accountability. When you first lay out your plan and you are bubbling over with excitement, enlist a friend, a spouse, a sister or better yet a few people and sign them up to be your encouragers. Ask them to check on you from time and time and ask you about your progress in meeting your goals. And go ahead and give them permission to call you out if you are not sticking to your plan! These "sponsors" serve to hold you accountable, encourage you and provide a listening ear when you become frustrated with your plans coming together for your future.

Another way to maintain your vision is to break big goals into smaller goals. You will have less time between each goal and can celebrate along the way! This way you can always see the light at the end of the tunnel. Reward yourself upon completing each small goal. Lastly, make your vision a visible one. Create a vision board. This is simple. Make a collage using pictures or items that remind you of your goals. You can post them on a bathroom mirror, refrigerator, in an office or anywhere you'd like. Visit this place often and add little fun images or trinkets that excite you about reaching your goal.

Dreams take us places and wishes do come true. So dream big and accomplish big!

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