Do you have financial goals? Do you know where you want to be financially at some point in time in the future? Are financial concerns a priority for you? Some people are comfortable that financial challenges will work themselves without a lot of worry and work. If you are wired this way, there is no reason to read further. If you will feel better about yourself if you set financial goals and work to achieve them, I hope this article will be helpful.

Be specific. "I want to be rich when I retire" is NOT a specific goal. "I’d like to have a net worth of $500,000 when I am 60" is specific. A goal can be big or small. Make sure it is measurable and have a specific time when it will be accomplished. Work with someone to ensure your financial goal is achievable. Most importantly, make sure you really want to achieve the goal you have set and are willing to work for it!

Next, figure out what specific things you need to do to accomplish your goal. Doing this will ensure that your goal is in fact achievable and help you break your goal down into smaller achievable steps. If you can’t find a way to realistically get to your goal, get some help to see if you are missing opportunities or change your goal to something that you can realistically achieve.

Setting a goal and making a plan are both critical to identifying where you want to go and actually getting there. Now comes the hard part. You have to start doing things differently. You need to follow your plan. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight or tried to quit smoking, you realize how ingrained our habits are and how difficult they are to change. To make changes in how we handle money is difficult too. Taking that first step is challenging, but the path to achieving your goal will not be travelled unless you are willing to take that first step.

Find a person you can share your goal and plans with who will help cheer you along the way. It can make all the difference in the world to have someone that will support your efforts to accomplish your goal. You may also have people in your life that for whatever reason work against you and your efforts to achieve your goal. If possible, distance yourself from the impact these people have.

Determine how often you will track your progress and make sure you stick to this schedule. Don’t always look at the whole goal you are trying to achieve, but review the individual steps you need to accomplish to get there. If you check that you are on track regularly, you can keep yourself motivated, knowing that you are on the way to accomplishing something important.

As you complete steps in your plan, celebrate! In order to stay motivated, tell yourself "when I get this step done, I’m going to celebrate by doing ________". There is a saying that "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", it can also wear you out! Do everything you can to make achieving your goal fun.

At some point in time, you may have something happen that makes you want to throw up your hands and say, "It’s no use, I’ll never get there." Be prepared for this and know that you can work through it. This is when your support team can be most helpful; share your challenges and ask for help.

Don’t give up. As long as your goal is worthwhile and you REALLY want to accomplish it, it does not make sense to quit. It may not be easy and you may encounter challenges you did not expect, but obstacles you imagine will be in your way, may also melt away into nothing at all.

Once you have achieved your goal, celebrate your accomplishment. You may find that you want to set new goals and can start the process all over again. If you do, you will do so with the satisfaction of knowing when you set a goal you have a track record of achieving it.

Bill Lawton, President/CEO

Bill Lawton grew up and currently lives in the Plymouth community. He is the President of Community Financial, a not-for-profit community focused credit union where he has worked since 1982. He also volunteers for several local service organizations. Community Financial Ph: (734) 453-1200.