Archive for May 2014

NOTE: This is an except from my book for young people – What Everyone Should Know About Money Before They Enter The Real World. It is written for young people just beginning their money relationship. You can learn more and purchase this book and its related study guide HERE. By the way, this book makes an excellent Graduation Gift!

What do you want to accomplish during your lifetime? What have you been put on earth to do?

As you embark into life in the real world, there is no doubt that you have been asking yourself these questions. Sometimes these questions can cause one to feel overwhelmed or fearful. Other times, these questions can fill one with hope and joy. You may be experiencing all of these feelings.

Every person has hopes and dreams they want to achieve. I believe every person has been put on earth for a specific purpose, and I want you to accomplish your hopes and dreams. Most people, however, do not have a written plan for how they are going to achieve their dreams. In fact, more than 50 percent of people who attend one of our personal finance teaching experiences have never written their hopes and dreams on paper. This is very sad.

Henry Ford once said, “Fail to plan. Plan to fail.” This is an incredibly true statement.

I clearly remember the day I was teaching the Financial Learning Experience in a small town. I asked everyone in the room to write their hopes and dreams on paper. When they had finished this task, I asked them this question – “If this is the first time you have ever written down your hopes and dreams in your adult life, please raise your hand.”

As usual, more than half of the room raised a hand, but one person’s hand caught my attention more than the others. It was a man who was over 70 years old and still working a full-time factory job to produce an income for his family. He was working because he had to. I wonder if he would still be working full-time at 70 if he would have written down his hopes and dreams on paper when he was 18.

You have huge potential. What do you want to make sure you accomplish during your lifetime?

You see, it is these dreams which should drive your financial decisions. Not the other way around!

ACTIONS:

1. Have the young person in your life ask some adults in their life, “What are your dreams?”  Once they have asked several of them, determine how many of those adults are truly allowing their dreams to drive their money decisions and how many are stuck allowing their current financial situation to drive (or prevent) their dreams.
2. Grab a copy of the book and study it together to help the young person in your life prevent financial mistakes.