So you bought the financial freedom books, but your bank account has yet to reap the rewards? Consider this: Your financial success can be developed just like a muscle... and if you're not seeing results, you may be on the wrong "financial fitness" plan. You were running on a treadmill to trim some financial fat. The result? Your wallet got "skinny. You werent building your financial muscles. Why not? Much like a good muscle-strengthening or exercise program, you need expert training, inspiration, and a "financial workout" that's tailored to your specific goals. Following are five of the Greatest Financial Challenges people typically face in their lifetime. Take the financial fitness challenge and see what muscles you need to start strengthening! (Note: please consult a Financial Fitness Professional before attempting any of these exercises.) Challenge 1. "I'm afraid to take financial risks." Financial Fitness Solution: Develop your Courage muscle. If you're sitting around waiting for the right stock or real estate to invest in, you're dealing with the symptom, not the source. Consider that people who have acquired wealth are not smarter or luckier. They have developed the financial muscle called Courage. Here, Courage refers to acting in spite of your fear. The fear doesnt get smaller, your confidence gets larger. As your confidence grows... so does your ability to make financial decisions that lead to increased wealth! Challenge 2. "I just don't have enough money to do what I want, when I want." Financial Fitness Solution: Develop your Desire and Belief muscles. There are many factors that are at the source of not having enough. For starters, the financial muscles to develop are Desire and Belief. The mere presence of your Desire is evidence that you have the capacity for its fulfillment. If you have Belief that your Desire is possible, then there is no question of "if," but rather how and when. How can I achieve what I desire, and when can I start seeing positive results? The best-laid plans for success begin with the Belief that you can do it and the Desire to make it happen! Challenge 3. "I'm constantly worried, stressed and frustrated about money." Financial Fitness Solution: Develop your Attention muscle. If I told you that you had a winning lottery ticket and the numbers would be called someday this year, would you be worried or excited? Most would say excited. The financial muscle to exercise here is Attention: where are you focusing yours? Race car drivers are taught to always look in the direction they want to go. If you look at the wall, you will drive into the wall. Put your Attention on what you want and youll get more of what you want. Stress, worry and frustration come from looking (now) at what you dont want to happen (in the future), and believing that what you dont want will actually happen. Get better control of your financial Attention muscles, and start driving your finances to a state of continuous growth. Challenge 4. "I just can't get control over my finances and spending." Financial Fitness Solution: Develop your Purpose muscle. Going on a spending diet as a measure of "control" over your finances is limiting rather than expansive behavior. The financial muscle to start developing here is best described as Purpose. Your Purpose, for example, might be a long-term plan for financial acumen. If you have a Purpose that's broader in scope than your day-to-day financial survival, then you wont need discipline or control over your spending. Instead of thinking in terms of what you can't do, you'll begin to think opportunistically as to what you CAN do, as part of your Purpose. Thus, you'll choose to spend based on what is most aligned with this Purpose. Challenge 5. "I just can't get my finances in order." Financial Fitness Solution: Develop your Integrity and Responsibility muscles. The most underdeveloped financial muscles associated with financial disorder is Integrity and Responsibility. Integrity & Responsibility requires that you be accountable to the promises you make to yourself and others. Borrowing and bill-paying are forms of promises you made. When you break those promises, you will find yourself in disorder or clutter. Develop the financial Integrity and Responsibility muscles to keep these promises and you will find order. From order comes structure, and from this comes a financial fitness plan for building long-term wealth, success and happiness! Youve got Step One in a Fitness Workout for your Financial Muscles Now What? This Financial Fitness Plan is only a place to start. If this were training for a marathon, you have just learned the warm-up routine for the 26.2 mile run. The real source of your financial challenges or success is your emotional relationship to money. You just learned some truths about finances, and you may be wondering how to develop these financial muscles and whats the next step in your personally-tailored financial workout. Contact financial fitness expert and trainer, Mayumi King at http://clubfreedomprogram.com Copyright 2005 Mayumi King. All rights reserved. |
