How to achieve money goals faster
What’s your focus on today?
Imagine your focus is a light…what’s your flashlight shining on?
Work? Family? Friends? Money? Food? Your dog? You could be focused on anything! Actually, wait…I know one thing you're focused on right now – this post. Thank you :)
Our brains are bombarded with billions of bits of information every second. To keep it from being completely overwhelmed, the brain has filters to protect it. One of the important components of this filtration system is the reticular activating system (RAS). Your RAS automatically sorts and sifts through the tsunami of info coming at you and filters out what’s unimportant. It distinguishes what’s relevant and what’s not, deciding what information is important for your conscious mind to pay attention to.
Your RAS is the reason why once you decided you wanted to buy a red SUV that you started to see red SUVs EVERYWHERE you went. It’s why you never cared about sea salt exfoliators, until your sister-in-law told you it’s the BEST way to transform your skin. Suddenly articles, Instagram photos and conversations about sea salt skincare products seem to follow you around. Your RAS started to let sea salt through the gates!
This is why where we put our attention matters. Why not recruit your RAS to make your dreams a reality? Use your RAS to shine your flashlight on the money goals that are most important to you.
Our minds are ready to be put to use to attain our objectives. Here are 2 steps you can take to put your RAS to work:
#1 Write down your goal. Squinting your eyes closed and making a wish will not bring riches. Let’s say your goal is to go on an epic adventure vacation in 2023:
Pull out a piece of paper or a journal and write down where you want to go
Pick the month you want to travel. Write it down.
Do some preliminary research and write down the dollar amount you want to save for the trip
Create the plan for how you will save up this amount over the time period you identified. Get specific – how much money will you put aside each week or each month? Consider setting up automatic transfers into a dedicated savings account to make staying on track easyyyy!
Keep this paper in a place where you can reference it frequently
Anytime you begin to question a financial decision or start feeling like your money choices are sacrifices, come back to your paper for a refresher of your goal, your plan and why it’s important to you
Start visualizing yourself on your epic vacation – when your brain starts to see yourself with the money you saved and enjoying your adventure, your RAS will go to work to accomplish the mission!
#2 Notice your language. Do you hope you’ll save enough money for your big vacation once you can leave your house again? Do you want to save the money? Or do you intend to save the cash needed to make that dream vacation a reality?
By choosing our words carefully, we can close the door on doubt – and send an important message to our brain. There’s a lot less doubt when we say we intend to save $5000 by October 1, 2023 than when we say, “I hope to save around $5000 by next fall.”
When we’re clear, specific, and intentional about our goals, we kick our RAS into high gear. Use these 2 steps to help you achieve ANY money goal you have. Saving for retirement or your future self? Follow these steps. Want to purchase a new house or a vacation home? Follow these steps.
Once you define your dream, goal or the life transition you desire - keep your eyes, ears, and heart open. As your RAS does it’s thing, you may be surprised by the things/people that pop up!
And if 3 people suggest reading the same book to you, I recommend you read it!