Do You Have Goals?

Hey team! I wanted to give you this quote that I read, and it’s kind of cool, so we’ll unpack it a little bit. I really believe it’s true: “The most important thing about having a goal or having goals is having one.” That was written by a man named Jeffrey F. Abbert.

The most important thing about having a goal is having one.

A few years back, I opened up my computer and went into one of my folders that has some of my goals. Believe it or not, every year, I write down things that I would like to have, accomplish, or do. I started going down the list and realized that I had actually accomplished each one of those things. The thing about writing goals down and setting things up is that you can start to set rocks and benchmarks wrapped around those dreams or visions that you have. The goals you set help you get to the next thing and do the next thing.

Now, what’s different about a goal and a dream or vision? A dream that isn’t written down and doesn’t have goals attached to it is really just a wish.

Believe it or not, and many of you who know me well or have been around me for years will know that I have lots of dreams, probably three, four, or five a day. I have all kinds of visions and ideas and different things, and none of them have come to fruition because I haven’t written any goals or put any action to them.

I have things that pop into my head all the time. I’ve told you guys about Mohawk Bros, Mohawk Bros Coffee. It’s a great idea, but I’ve put nothing into motion around it. Every so often, I come up with some new ideas around it and stuff, but I haven’t really written anything down. So it will never happen unless I actually set some goals behind it.

It’s just a dream, it’s just a vision of mine that I think sounds really cool. It probably could make money and be fun, but it also could be a lot of work. I’ve just not put any time or interest into it because I’m focused on other things that I do have goals written down for and have structured around them. Like I said, I could go on and on about all the different things in my head that have not been put on paper.

The most important thing is to set goals to your vision and your dreams in order to accomplish those things.

Once you’ve written those goals down, start setting benchmarks and milestones so you can accomplish them.

So my question to you today on this beautiful day is: What are your goals, and are they written down?

Because if your goals aren’t written down, then they’re not goals yet. If they’re not something you’re actually setting in motion to accomplish, then it doesn’t matter what it is. Maybe you want to get better at personal finance. Are you reading a book on personal finance, are you taking a class, are you watching TED Talks? Are you hooked up to SmartDollar?

These are really good questions that will help you set goals. Saying, “I want to be out of debt someday,” is a dream. A goal would be, “I’m going to get out of debt by this date.” You can say, “I’m going to start paying off this bill by putting an extra $5 to it every paycheck,” or “I’m going to stop going to Starbucks five days a week and maybe only go once a week or not at all for the next 90 days.” Those are goals you can write down, accomplish, and see happen. Imagine if you don’t spend five or six bucks on a coffee over 90 days. Think about what kind of bill you can pay off with that money. Goals!

So, where are your goals? Do you have them written down? Do you have any? That’s how you’re going to obtain success and accomplish the things you wish to accomplish in your life. You won’t wake up 50, 60, or 70 years of age looking back with regret that you didn’t accomplish what you dreamed of.

I think dreams are awesome. I have lots of them. But I only set in motion the ones I really believe I can accomplish.

The only ones that ever get accomplished are the ones I put in motion with goals, benchmarks, and milestones, and that I put a serious amount of effort into.

When Karen and I first got out of debt, this was in 2005, I think, and the first thing I did was read a book. The second thing I did was make a spreadsheet. I listed every bill, then listed every payment, and put extra money to some of those payments. We created a budget and started marching toward it by setting goals, having benchmarks, creating spreadsheets, and having something to look at every day.

Karen and I, in under 12 months, under 13 months, paid off every single one of our debts except for the house. We paid off all of our bills. But I had to set those benchmarks and goals. I also had to say no to some stuff. Some of you might have heard this. Karen gave me an IOU for a Corvette. I still don’t have a Corvette, may never have a Corvette. It’s not a big deal to me. It would be nice, but it’s not a priority.

I even had a Corvette, I had a loan for a Corvette. I had a check written to go pay for that Corvette up in Seattle. But after reading Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, after making that spreadsheet and looking at my bills, I said, “I’d rather be out of debt.” So we got out of debt. That was our focus. That was our goal. And we accomplished it because we wrote it down and set benchmarks and milestones to make it happen.

You can too, whether it’s getting out of debt, getting more education, or whatever it is that you’re trying to do. But you do have to say no to some things, and you do have to write your goals down. You have to have one.

That’s the best thing about having a goal: it’s written down, and you’ve got it.

All right. God bless you guys. Have a wonderful week. And remember: Be Valuable…Because Nothing Less Will Do. See you guys next week.