Welcome to January and to 2018! The New Year is a time to start fresh and feel good about everything you hope to accomplish in the coming 12 months. It’s also a time for thousands of articles about setting your New Year’s resolutions. Regrettably, New Year’s has given the word resolution a bad rap. Resolute, the adjective, means to be firmly and steadfastly dedicated to something. Naturally therefor, one would think of a resolution to be something to which one is firmly dedicated. But, it has come to mean a hope, a wish for the new year. Depending on which research you read, only 8% of resolutions are ever achieved. Why is this? Simple. We make resolutions without the firm and steadfast dedication – without the commitment. Resolutions have become merely good intentions, whereas commitments are decisions with dedication.
When you make a decision to do something, you’ve committed to it. Real commitments do not waver, no matter what is going on externally. Resolutions only last as long as it is convenient to pursue them. Once the going gets tough or life gets in the way, we waver on our resolutions.
When it comes to achieving success – and especially financial success – you need to make a commitment, not a resolution.
Make a decision, get committed, and achieve success
All greatness – including financial greatness – is achieved through a commitment to success. When you commit to success, you’re making a decision that nothing will stand in your way and you will do whatever it takes to win.
When you make a resolution, you are simply making a wish with the hope it works out. You give yourself an escape because you haven’t committed to it.
When you look through history and at the most successful people you know, you will see that the vast majority ended up that way by beginning with a real commitment to get there.
We don’t sway from a real commitment
Think back to a time or two in your life where you made a real decision that you were going to achieve something or accomplish something. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll remember you made a commitment and nothing swayed you.
When you make a true commitment, nothing will prevent you from succeeding. Problems, external challenges, internal struggles, and the unexpected all become hurdles to overcome, not walls that stop you. All success comes from a true and real commitment.
How financial commitments differ from financial resolutions
Money certainly isn’t the most important thing in life, but when it is needed, there are very few substitutes. What’s the point? Simply that you need to make sure your financial goals are met. There are no “go-arounds” in our financial lives – we have one chance to get it right.
The right time to make a decision and a commitment to achieving financial success is now. Don’t delay, don’t feel bad for past errors, mistakes, or harbor regrets. The only thing that will move you forward and accomplish your goals is a commitment to action from which you do not shirk. The good news is that, once you commit to doing what you need to do (and follow through), you simply cannot fail!
So make a commitment now to get on course for financial success in 2018 in four areas.
Commit to the four areas necessary for financial success
So what do you need to do in order to reach financial success in your life? Four things:
Commit to having a plan. You’ll find it a lot easier to navigate the financial challenges of your career and life if you have a plan that accounts for contingencies. Take the time to get a good plan together and you’ll always know the next step.
Commit to making more money. You need to focus on increasing your income by increasing your value. Commit to reaching your financial potential by honing your skills, cutting out poor uses of time, and find ways to increase your income. Every little bit moves you that much closer to financial independence.
Commit to managing your money (and your risks) wisely. Become “situationally aware” in all aspects of your financial life. This means creating a budget, tracking your cash flow (income and expenses), and tracking your net worth. It also means having a system for how you operate your financial life and protecting against financial risks.
Commit to multiplying your money. You want your money working for you, not the other way around. Focus on saving 30% of your income to purchase assets that pay you more income. Forgo the instant gratification of “excess stuff” so you can devote more funds to building your asset base and future passive income.
(Want more details on the above? Head to AirspeedAndMoney.com/freebook or email me at andy@airspeedandmoney.com for a free copy of my book, Million-Air).
Final thoughts
The bottom line is that commitments work and resolutions don’t. If you want to achieve financial success, you need to make a commitment to doing so right now. Make a decision today that you will develop and stick to a plan, map out ways to increase your income, manage your money and risks wisely, and smartly multiply your wealth by purchasing assets so it works for you.
You – and everyone – can accomplish anything you want financially, but you can’t do it without making a true commitment. Once you make the commitment, however, you will find a way to persevere and succeed. Happy New Year!
