Money – Are you a Driver, Passenger or Observer?

At a conference I attended some years ago the keynote speaker started his presentation by stating: 

There are three kinds of people.

1. Those that make things happen

2. Those that watch things happen

3. Those that just wonder what happened.

Number 3 brought about some laughter across the auditorium, but I never forgot his words.

He was spot-on!

There are so many people who are either a number 2 or 3 and not so many people who are a clear number 1.

The question for today is, which one are you?

If you are not making things happen in your life, then you ought to be! You do not want to get to retirement or end up on your death bed with the thought that you should have done something, said something, gone somewhere, let go of a grudge with someone, saved more, wasted less and valued more or any combination of these and any others you care to think of!

The world needs more people who are clear on what they want to achieve and who are doing something about it.

Now, I’d be pretty sure that you know someone who is a number 3; someone who really does not have a clue about what is going on around them most of the time. I’m pretty sure that occasionally every one of us has a bit of number 3 in us. It’s okay to daydream a little and leave the busyness of life behind us from time to time, but don’t be a number 3 all the time!!!!

Number 2 is the biggest group. Number 2’s see what is happening but don’t know how or why it’s happening that way and they just don’t seem to be able to take control of their lives and especially their finances. They get to watch more than they get to participate!

One of the reasons they are stuck as a number two is because of fear: Fear of looking stupid for trying and failing! Yet another reason, and this is a biggie, is just not knowing how to change, how to become someone who makes decisions and then sticks to them.

So what is the secret to being a number 1, to making things happen?

In the Succeed With Money Podcast, Episode 42, we talk about this very subject. You can find it at 
https://spendingplanning.com/podcast/money-are-you-the-driver-passenger-or-observer

The key to being someone who makes things happen is to get in control of your finances. How do you do that?

1. Make it clear to yourself that you want to change – Have a good hard look in the mirror and tell yourself it is time for change. Do this every time you look in the mirror until you know you have got the message.

2. Sit down with a journal and make a list of all the things in your life that are working and why and then another list of all the things that are not working for you and why.

3. Identify the main issues that are stopping you. Is it fear? Is it lack of belief in yourself? Is it lack of knowledge about what to do?

4. Write down in your journal 10 things you really want in your life and 10 things you really do not want in your life and then use those to gauge every bigger decision you make.

5. Set some goals for yourself and write them down in your journal. Some should be easy to achieve on a short time frame and some should be bigger on a longer time frame.

6. Most goals need money, so do you have a Spending Plan that you can use to determine how and when you can achieve your goals. If you do not have a Spending Plan, it’s way past time you had one. You have a much smaller chance of ever being someone who makes things happen if you do not have a clue how the money is going to be in place to make your goals happen. Not having a money plan is the biggest reason people lose their way in life. It is not uncommon for a Spending Planner working with a client who is ready to get help, to find there is $10,000 to $12,000 slipping through their fingers every year that can be put to better use.

7. Set rules for yourself that compliment your goals, e.g. If you have decided you want to save up a house deposit and you know that means letting less money disappear each week on “who knows what”, then maybe one rule you might make is to NOT get take-away every Friday night if that is something you have been doing in the past. IMPORTANT – Make it part of the rule to say what you WILL do instead and make sure it is easy to implement, e.g. have an easy meal option included in your grocery shop each week that can replace the take-away you were in the habit of purchasing.

8. Keep check on yourself on a regular basis to make sure you are not getting off track. Go back to your journal once a week and write down your successes and any relevant comments about your progress.

If you follow these tips and include any others you think will be helpful for you, you will be well on your way to being a mover and a shaker, someone who “Makes Things Happen”, a success in many ways.