Saying you’ll try to do something is much different from saying you will do it. It’s important to remember this when making goals. It’s easy to say, “I’m trying to save more money”, for example. A more active statement allows you more control to reach your goal.
Photo by Aaron Patterson
Jackie Beck of The Debt Myth points out that some statements come with built-in excuses. For example, I’m trying to be debt free or I’d like to spend less implies that you might not do it. Beck writes:
They’re actually you making excuses before you even start. They’re you refusing to commit — even to yourself — to reaching a concrete goal. Real change starts with commitment…When you’re not wimping out on yourself, concrete get-out-of-debt goals look more like these:
- I no longer use debt to pay for things. I only spend money that I already have, no matter what.
- I hate that my credit card has such a high interest rate, so I’ve cut it up and am sending at least an extra $100 a month to it to knock it out faster.
Those simple changes make the goal much more active. Instead of a built-in excuse, there’s a built-in plan of action. Read Beck’s full post for more of her insight.
One Strange Reason You Might Not be Reaching Your Goals [The Debt Myth]
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