Instagram is awesome. But in today’s day and age, we’re all flooded with other people’s success and riches (or appearance thereof). As a result, we’re always focused on results and we end up losing sight of the process it takes to get there.
Sure, some people strike gold. They win the lottery, sell their company, or land that perfect job. And while that can always be a goal, we all know that’s the exception and not the norm. The majority of people who build wealth and live that enviable life have one thing in common.
They consistently perform small actions that compound over time and eventually have a huge impact on their lives.
Compounding…For Better or for Worse
That’s right. It doesn’t require a Herculean effort to achieve Herculean results. While compounding is an amazing concept in the world of investments, it’s even more powerful in your everyday life. Whether it’s building wealth, getting fit, improving your marriage/relationships, or achieving your career ambitions, the formula is the same. You need to set up systems and routines that you can consistently stick to and that have been proven throughout history to build momentum and produce results.
- 30-60 minutes of exercise 3-4 days a week
- Planning a fun date night each month or sitting down each week to truly communicate
- Waking up early, getting organized for the day, and showing enthusiasm at your job
- Reading materials each week that help you grow personally and professionally
And while your compounding can work for you, it only takes small actions to compound against you, too. These small actions continuously set you off course, until one day you look back and wonder what happened.
- Grabbing that lunchtime sugar cookie at Potbelly (they are amazing…)
- Taking your relationships for granted and going through the motions each day
- Hitting that snooze button and stumbling into another day of work
- Consuming countless hours of HGTV, Netflix, or that favorite video game
None of it should sound surprising to us. We all usually know what’s good and bad for us and it is still important to treat yourself here and there. So why do most people fail to reach success? They underestimate each decision by viewing it in isolation and they don’t have simple systems in place that can reduce the mental fatigue from having to weigh these decisions each day.
Systems for Financial Success
When it comes to building a wealthy life, we believe the most important actions are small too. You don’t need to be drowning in receipts, counting your pennies, and passing up every fun or enjoyable opportunity that comes your way. However, you do need to:
- Agree on, quantify, and write down your short-term and long-term financial goals
- Track your net worth and your progress towards your goals
- Have consistent check-ins with each other to assess how you’re doing
We recommend having short check-ins on a monthly basis where you (i) update your net worth, (ii) make sure your savings goals are still accurate, and (iii) agree on your spending habits for the next month to ensure you can stay on track to achieve them. Even better, reward yourself that day or night with a fun date night.
Fortunately, we’ve developed some great tools to help you build positive momentum and set up these simple financial systems together. And they’re all free! Check out these tools and our tutorial videos in the freebies section of our site and let us know how you like them!
Questions:
How are you currently keeping track of your finances? What are your favorite tools and systems that you use today?