“Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.”
Brené Brown in Daring Greatly
Ready to achieve your money goals? The goal could be as personal as paying for a wedding to being debt free. To be wholehearted with goals, feel your sense of enoughness even before achieving the goal – fall in LOVE with the process. Life takes time and when we’re learning new skills gentleness and consistency are key.
Decide where You’re Headed
First, start with the end in mind. Think of your goal and feel what it would be like to accomplish it. For example, say you want to take a six month backpacking trip through South America next year. Imagine it’s a month after you return and the experience was amazing. It was everything you hoped it would be. Write out your answers to see what comes up!
- What would need to have happened for you to have this great experience?
- What are the places you visited?
- What events did you attend?
- Who did you meet?
Now trace what steps you need to take to make this a reality. For example, say you’ve always dreamed of going to Carnaval in Brazil, when would you need to be there? If you want to volunteer in the Amazon for a few weeks what organizations are a match? What is your budget for the trip and how much time do you need to set aside enough of money? Be as specific and detailed as possible!
Congratulations! Giving yourself space to detail what you want for a trip, wedding, or to feel good about your day to day money management makes getting there that much easier.
- Break everything done into small bits,
- add deadlines for each part, and
- make sure to celebrate every step in that direction.
And remember “no matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.”
Make it Easy and Pleasurable to Stay on Track
There is magic in setting up systems to reach goals. List out what needs to get done daily, weekly, or monthly for you to get to where you’re going. We can do more when we enjoy the process. Plus, anticipation is one of my favorite parts of traveling as is looking back on the experience. Can you imagine having a money system that feels as good as dreaming of a vacation? It’s possible!
Going back to those deadlines, what about adding ritual or celebration to them? Buying the airplane ticket for your trips merits a phone call or text to a friend celebrating that you took a clear step toward your vision. If a deadline isn’t met look at your systems with wholeheartedness and remember you’re experimenting! It’s natural to land off-base occasionally.
Add gratitude to the process wherever it’s getting sticky. Even if it’s something like “I’m grateful I never have to go down that yurts in the Amazon internet tunnel again.”
You’re right where you need to be! As your skills grow you’ll be able to dream bigger and your confidence in bringing your goals will strengthen.