Define Your Financial Purpose
What are you on earth for? Millions have read Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life and found a sense of purpose. Have you found purpose in a certain career, position, or situation? What is the purpose of your money? Money can buy a lot of things, but there are also a few things it can never buy:
Money can buy:
You should be able to answer the question “What is the purpose of my financial plan?” This includes reasons why you are saving, investing, or incurring debt. What is the “bigger picture”? More important, what does God want you to accomplish through your finances?
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help get you started:
- If money weren’t an issue, what would I be doing?
- My ideal job would be what?
- I would like to spend my days doing what?
- My life is not complete until this is done: ______________________________.
- If I died today, how would I want people to remember me?
- What are the community/social/religious issues I feel most passionate about?
Learn from Past Mistakes
Many fail to find purpose because they get stuck in the past. It is difficult to move forward when you either keep making the same mistakes or dwelling on the past. Today is a clean slate. Money battles are usually won or lost one spending decision at a time. I see people consistently make the same mistakes again and again and expect a different outcome each time. The reality is that most people fall victim to the battles of everyday life. They wave the white flag and surrender without ever considering the choices they had available to them. With a little help, big changes can be made, but a change of perspective is required.
It has been estimated that if the wealth in this world were redistributed equally among every person on this earth, eventually those who were wealthy would be wealthy again and those who were poor would be poor again. Donald Trump is a great example. He made a fortune, lost it, and then got it back again. He realized past mistakes, learned from them, and grew committed to overcoming them.
Spending is a great battle between wealth and consumerism. Fortunes are often lost one dollar at time. This happens through what I call “wealth leakage.” This means wealth leaks out of your pockets into the hands of someone else—the bank, the credit card company, the auto dealership, the stores at the mall, etc. Instead of saving and adding to your wealth, it flows out into the world, never to be seen by you again. Stop the leakage and keep more of what you work so hard for. It may not seem like a big deal when you stop at Starbucks for a “Grande White Mocha,” but when you realize your retirement account isn’t so “Grande,” it will capture your attention. Just $25 of excessive spending per week can add up to $1,300 per year, which could have gone toward paying off creditors or saving for your future.
It’s Time for a “Financial Mulligan”
In golf, a mulligan is a shot retaken, due to an errant shot. A mulligan shot is strictly prohibited in the official rules of the game, but is commonplace in social golf. Traditionally, mulligans are allowed only on the tee shot (usually one per round) and are not just taken at any time of the golfer’s choosing.
In your financial life, you have probably made many mistakes. The past is the past. You cannot change it, so now is your time for a “financial mulligan.” It is time to start over and prepare to succeed financially. God has brought you to a time such as this. Seize the moment, wipe your financial slate clean, and take the next best shot. With God on your side, you can shoot a hole in one. With Him by your side, anything is possible.