Have you ever been moving along, doing your thing and wondering…am I doing this right? Am I managing my money wisely, or could I be doing things differently? Better, even?
Let me first just tell you there are A LOT of ways to get to your goals when it comes to managing your money wisely. Some strategies may be better for your situation than others though.
Don’t worry-I’m not going to be all elusive with you for much longer! I do want to share a client success story of up leveling goals from good to great, and the approach I used (and you can too) to help guide her there.
Nadia’s Story.
When I first connected with Nadia, she was intrigued about working with a coach to help take her to the next level, but not quite ready to commit. She tagged on to my email list and social media profiles, and eventually got comfortable with the idea of working with a financial coach to strategize on the way to help get her to her goals faster.
She had no student loan debt.
No credit card debt.
Her car was paid for.
Emergency fund in place.
Retirement account established.
Guess what? She wasn’t even 30!
Her big goal? Buy a home.
Nadia’s strategy, and how she became more intentional with managing her money wisely.
Nadia took any extra money that she had at the end of the month and put it towards a home savings account. In addition, she was making some small sacrifices like making her coffee at home (with coconut milk and a little collagen powder), so she set up an auto transfer into savings that equaled what would have been a coffee purchase.
Both are terrific efforts, and I was not mad at her one bit. But she still had the ability to get more intentional.
Unpacking her goal and diving deeper included a dream to have a family one day, be well established at work, and have flexibility and choices as it came to those next steps with her future. Having a home of her own was part of this dream, and the timeline – sooner, rather than later.
However, Nadia not only wanted to buy a home and cover her closing cost expenses, she also wanted to start out with some equity and put 25% of the purchase price away for down payment, closing costs, and some furniture to doll up the space. Again, all of this by the time she was 30! 18 months to get to 100k-a big, bold goal!
I work with clients through a five step process I call the Journey to Thrive framework. We bounce in, out, and around these steps as we angle towards accomplishing the goals and dreams you have for yourself – all playing an important role in achieving what you have in your wildest dreams. Let me share more of Nadia’s story with you as I explain the framework that you too, can follow, and ultimately, start managing your money wisely.
I want to share with you the 5 Step Journey to Thrive Framework in more detail below.
Dream.
Not just the goal, but the dream. I really push to find out what you’re really after. No lip service here. No surface level, but given no restriction – the real dream. If you’re not after your dreams, you are missing an important part of living!
Nadia is a visual person, having something to look at helps her learn and motivates her. In one of our first sessions we dove into her ‘why’. Why did she want to be more intentional with her money? What are her values? What’s truly important, and what does she want. This is where the house with the timeline came into clear view – and her vision board was motivational to boot!
Prep.
Are you ready for it? Chasing dreams takes a bit of change and intentionality. Can you handle it? Most of my clients are prepared for some logical change – creating a budget, maybe spending less, paying a coach – but the heart change can catch them by surprise. Money is tied to emotions and behaviors that often need adjustment to help get you to your goal. Prepping your head and your heart are important steps in this success path.
Her head in the game, and ready to go deeper Nadia came prepared to learn and implement a new strategy. I think what caught her off guard was some of the mindset shifts around small habit adjustments, and self awareness that can be incredibly powerful on the way to change.
Plan.
Yep, you knew there’d be a plan! Oftentimes, a component of the plan includes a budget or spending plan. Typically though, there’s an overarching plan to get to that first big goal, then the second big goal, and then the third on the way to the dream. So, yes – we make a plan for the money to get us there.
Side note – so often people think that “budgeting” is the only function of my coaching role. Err-wrong! It’s a part of it; budget support and money management tools – but the strategy, the heart work, and the awareness is far more crucial.
Instead of transferring the ‘leftover’ money into that house savings fund, we crafted a realistic budget that still included all of her favorite ways to spend money, including; giving, vacations, extracurriculars, health savings, and gifts. Then we intentionally determined IN ADVANCE how much she’d be putting towards her house savings goal.
Game changer.
Planning your expenses in advance and taking action with managing your money wisely, sets you up for success to be intentional.
This information, the visual, and the reality of what really could be sent on down the way to that savings account opened her eyes to see that her dream of home ownership with equity right out of the gate was absolutely going to be a reality by her 30th birthday. Talk about motivation!
Flex.
I love the flexing part of the cycle. Helping to coach someone through life’s challenges and still keeping them aimed at their target is one of the best gifts I can give anyone. Inevitably, some kind of life happens to my clients as we work together for half of the year. However, I get to help them navigate and stay flexible within their plan to keep them on track while dealing with the fire that was tossed their way.
Nadia ended up getting a new job during our time working together. It involved new pay cycles, a lot of new learning, and a heckuva pay increase with terrific opportunity – and more importantly…better culture. New stuff can be scary sometimes! When you stop to gut check your values, and your goals though, and if you’re not headed to your dreams, the change is worth it my friend.
Thrive.
Finally, the celebration! The acknowledgement of progress, small wins and bigs, side steps and learnings from back steps that happen is huge. Pause to celebrate either with a special night out, meal, or simple salute to what has been accomplished before you jump back on that cycle and start again with the next goal to get you to that dream.
Tracking progress towards your goals is important. Seeing that you’re making an effort makes the days that are a little tougher, worth it. Nadia kept track of her savings visually and has a projected timeline for completion. It will be in time for a housewarming/30th birthday celebration in her new home.
“I have been challenged to dream bigger and taught how to break down those big impossible seeming goals into daily/weekly/monthly tasks. Not only have I grown as a person, but having a plan for my money gives me true peace. I work hard for my money and now my money works hard for me 🙂 Thank you Sarah!!”
Nadia
Learning to do what Nadia did, and ultimately, managing your money wisely with intention.
I want you to follow the framework, and tap into these steps to see your goals accomplished.
- Are you allowing yourself to dream big?
- How can you prep your head and heart as you get ready to dive into your goals?
- Do you have a plan?
- Can you remain flexible with that plan to keep you on target when life happens, and continue managing your money wisely?
- What’s your plan to celebrate when you reach that first milestone?
Need some extra support? Download my free 5 Step Journey to Thrive guide to help kick start you on your way.
I feel honored to be the guide as my clients knock out their goals and learn new strategies to see their dreams accomplished as the hero of their story. I’m also honored that they allow me to share their story with you.
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