On Your Journey To Financial Freedom
PLOT THE PROGRESS TOWARD YOUR GOAL
If you are really interested in succeeding, you must have a specific goal. Goals are funny things, because they often actually cause failure. For example, many people have the goal "I want to be rich", or the even more creative - my own personal favourite because of the words ("I want to attain financial freedom."). Although we should all be aspiring to the latter, the words are lofty in nature and broad in scope.
To be workable and focus-oriented, goals should not be lofty and vague, but instead be attainable, realistic and measureable. The following goal is an excellent one: "By January, 2010, I want to increase my monthly cash flow by $5000 through the generation of positive cash flow and the reduction of expenses." This particular goal gives you a specific scope, tells you how to do it, then expects itself to be completed by a specific date.
Marking your achievements on a desk chart, a wall chart, a computer tracking program, or a graph of some sort, will help you along the way. Charting your progress on a specific day of each week helps continue to make yourself accountable. One friend of mine had a creative spin on the charting/graphing idea. She has purchased a slightly upscale (read: attractive) key holder. You know those ones I mean: the ones that are like a little cabinet, using being in the property manager's office, or the janitor's office. The cabinet opens up to a gazillion hooks upon which you hang your keys. My friend's version is a slightly upgraded (non-metal) version of this idea: each time she buys another property, she hangs a copy of a set of keys! Way cool!