Goals Make Managing Your Finances More Interesting

Many avoid working on their finances and learning about personal finance because of a lack of interest or understanding.  On the surface analyzing your financial situation may seem like drudgery and can be intimidating.  It does not have to be this way; it can be interesting and exciting.

The secret to developing an interest in spending time improving your finances is creating a vision of what you want your money to achieve.  Money in isolation is rather boring but it is just a tool to reach your goals.  One of the primary characteristics of financially successful people is they make time to work on their finances and they invest the time to become financially literate.

Embrace the power that having control over your finances can offer.  Regardless of your current situation, if you believe that you can influence your financial life you can shape your financial future.  

Create a vision of your ideal financial future.  Brainstorm goals that you want to accomplish in the next three years or create a vision board to get motivated and excited about the possibilities.  Once you have a clear direction, start thinking about how you can better manage your money to make your vision a reality.  

Create short and long-term goals and action steps you need to accomplish to reach your long-term plan.   As you formulate your plan you will see how money is a valuable tool to meet your goals.  As you monitor your progress, managing your finances will become an exciting, integral step in reaching your dreams.   Rather than looking upon finances as a chore you will become excited about where you are along your journey.  You will look forward to learning more about finances and taking the necessary steps to make your money work for you. Once you associate your personal finances directly with your goals, managing money becomes fun.

Early in my career, my big dream was to visit Europe.  I became obsessed with saving money and managing my finances to visit Europe.  I associated managing money with my dream to travel.  I became excited about managing my finances and I enjoyed monitoring the progress toward my trip.

This was a life lesson that made me realize I was in control of my financial future.  I found that setting goals and managing my finances to meet them was exciting and empowering.

If you do not have the time or interest to get into the details, hire a fee-only financial planner to assist you in managing your finances.  However, you will still need to develop a long-term vision and financial goals to give your financial planner direction on what you want to achieve.  Most financial planners can also assist you with the goal setting process.  Even if you hire a professional, it is important to stay engaged and enthusiastic about your financial plan and monitor progress toward your goals.