Don’t Just Talk About Fixing Your Money, Do Something!

My father, Dr. Albert Jose Jones, who gave me my favorite piece of advice. Check out #4.

Are you a doer or talker? For many of us, we have experienced being classified as both at different times in our lives. It is easy to be doer when most of the people around you are accomplishing similar goals. You might have experienced this level of perseverance in school or when playing on a team. What do you do if your immediate community does not have the same money goals? How do move beyond talking about what you want to do and actually take action? Here are some keys to take massive action toward your financial goals when your friends and loved ones aren’t on the same plan.

1. Take a small step that leads to massive action

Stop thinking so hard and decide to take a small action step with your money. You don’t need to have all of knowledge to get started. Think about where you are right now and decide what a small step forward will look like to launch you into a new money habit. This doesn’t take a lot of time to figure out and can be done in no more than a week. What small step are you going to take this week?

2. Don’t wait for a mental shift

If you are waiting for all the information to click, you might let valuable action time pass by. Often, people try to reassure me that they are almost ready to make a change. I can’t help but think that when they are trying to convince me they are really trying to convince themselves. Stop looking for a perfect mental shift to ignite action. You will be surprised how much your mentality will change once you start developing new habits. I noticed, in myself and my clients, mental shifts happen when they acquire knowledge and take small steps. You can see this in the testimonials from my Budget Coaching Package. Try one positive money action and see how your mentality changes. What do you have to lose?

3. You don’t need to be completely certain of your plan.

Every part and phase of your plan does not have to be perfect. No matter how “perfect” your plans is, it won’t take into account unforeseen hiccups. Don’t let the unknown scare you out of getting started. Any positive money action will lead to a greater sense of financial happiness. In addition, you will not know how to refine your plan until you get started. Get started and build your plan as you get more experience.

4. Stop telling people your plan

This maybe be controversial, but I am speaking from experience. I have a very accomplished father. When I was in my early 20s, I always expressed my desire to do something big. Throughout the years there was always something different, but they ended as quickly as they began, or they never launched. One day I talked to my dad about how this made me feel. He gave me a lot to think about. His deepest words of wisdom were, “Stop telling people your plans.” I didn’t implement this advice until I started paying off debt years later, because I noticed people’s negative perception could change my ideas. This freed me! I no longer had to worry about what people thought if my plan didn’t work out. It gave me the freedom to try without criticism and refine my plan. I still use this advice today with many other things I do, and I often receive phone calls telling me something amazing my father did, which I had no idea about.

If you are like me, the idea of being a talker and not a doer is unsettling. Though it can seem like a cycle of unfulfilled dreams, this is a habit you can break. To identify some habits you can change take my free Money Habits Assessment. This is something that you can solve. It is simple shift in habits. These tips will relieve some pressure, which will allow you to try without having the right answers.