What are your hopes and dreams, your goals and desires? A strange question to ask when my focus is helping people achieve financial freedom? It’s not, and in fact, it is probably the most important question you need to answer if you truly want to reach your money goals. What matters most? Is it spending time with family and friends? Traveling the world? Owning a great home? Don’t make the mistake of spending money on low priority whims, trading away the things that matter most–it’s just not a trade worth making.
Take your time answering and really consider your answers. Identifying hopes and dreams can be difficult, but you are very unlikely to get the things you wish for unless you first identify what they are. Think of it this way, every expenditure you make is a trade that requires you to give up something else and it’s critical to become consciously aware of the trades you are making. Only after you have clearly identified what it is you want from your life can you make good decisions regarding money and the role you want it to play in your life. When you know what you truly want, you can avoid trading it away.