Building Financial Courage

What does it take to build financial courage? How do you trust yourself to commit to a financial plan? Do you let your past experiences with money determine your actions before you even start?

Financial courage is a learned mental shift that can be the power that keeps your momentum. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it will come in time. It is difficult to build momentum, but not impossible.

So how do we get enough throttle behind ourselves to take one positive step in the right financial direction? Additionally, how do we keep putting one step in front of the other after that feeling of euphoria runs out?

For most people they will start a plan with incredible enthusiasm and commitment. Within a month those feelings fizzle and they stop altogether. There are many reasons why it is hard to stick to a plan, but in this article I am going to talk about the emotional side of starting. A few months ago I wrote about easy steps you can take to turn your money ideas into reality.

While believing in yourself is 51% of your money journey, to start your trip you need to have a dream. Your money dream will serve as the marker of successful completion. Your dream should be deeply personal and emotionally fulfilling. Not only should you imagine what life will be like once that moment arrives, you should also be able to connect it to the feelings of accomplishment and relief you will feel.

One of the hardest parts of accomplishing a money goal is dreaming. When you are accomplishing a goal that many people aren’t, it is hard to articulate the importance in a way that resonates. While you are feeling the desire to commit to a major dream of fixing your finances, many people around you are dreaming of ways to spend their money.

Additionally, this is a goal that many people have not tried to accomplish. You may feel alone in your journey, because you don’t have someone to confide in that can help you keep your dream alive and vibrant. This was my reality when I was accomplishing my first goal of paying off $71k in debt. I found it hard to imagine what my life would be like, but I worked hard to find a deep meaningful dream beneath the lack of clarity. My dream was my motivator.

I needed a money dream and you need one too. If you learn to focus on your dream it will give you the power to push through and resist financial temptations that take you off course.

Why is it so hard to change your habits with money?

1) Deciding to fix your finances and change your money habits tends to be deeply personal. We often don’t talk about money, unless it is in a positive light. So, our discomfort with our financial choices lives within ourselves with no outlet. The subject of money is not only personal, but emotional. Since we don’t talk about money, because it is taboo, we don’t get the help we need to heal our emotional relationship with money and the tools or plan to make a real impact on our financial health.

2) Most people are focused on earning more money and not fixing their current situation. Therefore, making a plan to fix your money seems like a solo experience.

Keeping Motivated

Continuously focusing on your money dream will help to maintain your motivation and momentum. Trying to accomplish a goal when no one around is on the same plan is difficult, but not impossible.

You may wonder why you have a hard time staying on track when you have accomplished major goals in your past. It’s easy to stay driven when everyone around you is moving toward the same goal. You might have experienced this in college or if you have ever been part of a team. These are environments where members of your community are all focused on the same goal. Your immediate community serves as a guide and an outlet.

A deeply important money dream can serve as a focal point in which you return to when you are confronted with a lack of courage. Continue to fantasize about your future life once you commit to your plan. Yes, I am telling you to be a dreamer. But don't stay in a dream state, follow that dream with actions. This will increase your belief and confidence. The more action you take towards your dream, the more you will believe in your ability to accomplish the goal.