By John Corron, Wealth Advisor –
How do you achieve the most challenging and rewarding goals you have ever thought about? What is the difference-maker in powering through challenges that derail progress toward those goals?
Some might suggest faith in yourself is the key, some would recommend sharpening focus or enhancing mental fortitude. I would argue that the formation of good habits and elimination of bad ones is the answer.
Mastering Habits
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear sums it up very well, articulating that changing your underlying systems and approach to your routines can make a world of difference in the outcomes you experience. Whether the focus is on physical, mental or financial health, small changes in the way you approach prioritizing and planning what you do in a day can culminate in meaningful progress toward achieving big goals. That meaningful progress can open your eyes and re-acquaint you with the belief that you have ample capacity to reach for and achieve more than you may think is possible.
As with most things, sustainable change takes time, energy, focus and commitment. Improving habits takes education and consistency. Coaching can accelerate the progress you make, not only through guidance on the process to follow, but also in laying out the pace at which changing your habit-forming systems should occur.
Incremental change is easier to adjust to and can help you avoid burn-out, a common problem when pursuing big goals too quickly. A good coach will also hold you accountable in persevering on the path toward improvement.
Regardless of the area of life you would like to improve, the best coaches will show you what is possible, identify techniques you can improve, teach you how to make those improvements and encourage you as you do the work.
For Your Financial Health
Just as we know that exercise is essential for good physical health and meditation helps improve mental health, we know that disciplined saving and thoughtful investing can yield greater sustainable financial health. The earlier you start and the more consistent you are at forming good financial habits, the greater chance you have of making big progress.
In your financial life a good advisor will meet you where you are and help you chart a path to make the most of your resources and realize goals that you most want to achieve. Some of the best guidance a planner can give is to show clients how small changes in spending, saving, investing or risk management can compound into very sound long-term financial stability.
A nutritionist educates and guides their clients in developing better eating habits and making healthier choices. So too should your financial planner teach you about common pitfalls and help you simplify and make better financial decisions.
In addition, a good planner/advisor will work with you to identify the habits and focus areas that can greatly increase your chances of achieving the financial goals that mean the most to you.
Little Changes, Big Accumulation
The cumulative effect of forming good financial habits can yield incredible long-term results regardless of where you apply them in your life. I encourage you all the give your habits some thought, engage a coach and get to work.
You may be hard-pressed to find anyone living with regret for having changed their habit systems in pursuit of better physical, mental and financial health. If you are concerned that you are too set in your ways or typically have trouble committing to change remember these wise words by Zig Ziglar: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.”