How I Got from There to Here

Time is something that passes, whether we like it or not.  Often, we are motivated to do something because of a trigger - something has happened to make us pay attention or take action.

A lot of what we do in life is pretty random, which makes time seem to pass faster.  Before we know it, 10 years have gone by, and we haven't really done as much as we would have liked - because we didn't know what we actually wanted to do in the first place.

This can seem a bit "heavy", but it's the reality that many of us experienced.

As a way to try and interrupt that, I wanted to share a little about my journey, and the difference I have found between being aimless and being focused.

Growing up I watched my parents experience a lot of debt.  They constantly had bills and loans to pay, and it wasn't always easy to pay everything.  I decided that's not the life I wanted, so I just saved money and didn't want to buy into property and build up lots of debt, like my parents.

The game changers for me financially were:

1. Earning more - changing jobs and taking a risk on a higher paying contracting role.
2. Knowledge - I learned about different kinds of investing through seminars, workshops, books, and I learned what not to do by hiring a Financial Planner!  There are some really good Financial Planners out there - I just picked the wrong one for me.  I learned a lot though.
3. Consistent Action - once I had gained knowledge, I started investing regularly, and I still do.  I now have shares, ETFs, various micro-investing accounts, and cash.
4. Luck - for me, because I never wanted to buy property, my husband and I were renters.  I figured that I was saving and investing, and not spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on bank interest.  However, after having to leave one home because the owner sold and the new owner wanted to move in, and then potentially having this happen again, I was fed up with my home not being my own, and we launched into buying a home.  It was the best decision, and because of the previous game changers I was in a really solid financial position.  The timing of this was luck though.
5. Lifestyle Focus - after all this I also got clear on the lifestyle I wanted - now and in retirement.  That influences how I save, how I invest, how I buy a car, how I go on holiday, you name it.  Anytime I fall off the financial "wagon" (which still happens), I remind myself of the lifestyle I want, and that gets me right back on.  Clarity is powerful!

 Have a think about what you want and how your finances are currently set up.  Where there is misalignment, write down some changes that you need to make.