I have always lived my life as an overachiever. Once I set my sites on something, there was no stopping me. From high school to earning my Bachelor’s degree, to passing the CPA exam…I have always had a clear goal in mind and a path to get there. As I got older, I noticed it was not quite so easy to set goals and obtain them, especially after having children. Then, you throw in an economy like we have today and it is all over. People seem to have lost site of their goals, they are stuck in survival mode. I am here to help break the chains of survival mode and start living again.

Step One: Set Goals

If you do not have goals, you do not know where you are going. If you do not know where you are going, how are you going to get there? Last summer I was lucky enough to see Michael Gerber speak at a conference I attended. Michael Gerber is the bestselling author of “The E-Myth” series. One of the things he said that really struck me was, “Try to put a puzzle together after you have thrown away the box. You can’t do it, because you do not know what it is supposed to look like.” This is not only good advice for small business owners, but it is good advice for everyone. Make sure you have a clear goal in mind that will give you something to strive for and feel that sense of accomplishment once you achieve it.

What do you want from your money, your life, your career? Set goals for yourself personally, as a couple and as a family. Write it down and hold yourself accountable. It’s time Sacramento…we need to stop thinking about all we have lost over the last several months and start setting our sites on the future again.