Finding Your Why

I am currently reading Charlene Johnson's PUSH and there are so many "ah-ha" moments in this book. I get way too excited and start reading ahead... but I love that you really just have to take it chapter by chapter, day by day. 

If you actually follow the 30 day program and do your homework... you can be successful in anything!

My favorite part right now is "find your why." This is all apart of finding your PUSH goal (the ultimate goal) but one of the first things you have to do is figure out WHY you are trying to achieve a specific goal. Before starting anything it is so important to figure out WHY you are doing it. If you are having a hard time figuring out WHY your are starting a journey, maybe it isn't right for you... or right for you RIGHT NOW!

For example... my "why" for joining Beachbody was financial freedom. 

Now that is pretty broad statement and I would say MOST people choose to be a Beachbody coach because of money. Who wouldn't join to earn some extra cash or just not have to pay for their programs and Shakeology? 

But Chalene goes on to say that you take that statement and try to make it as specific as possible.

Okay so how can I add to that? 

• I want to be able to use my day job paychecks for day to day needs, and my Beachbody paychecks for "fun" items each month.
• I would like to pay off our credit card in 12 months.
• Finish my student loan payments within 12 months.
• Purchase a larger car for my growing family in November.

There... I just turned it into a more specific statement that meets my needs within a year. I personally suggest that you don't set goals past a year, unless it would take longer than a year. If it will take longer than a year, set the goal according to where you will be in 12 months. 

For example... "I would like to start paying more than the minimum payment for my credit card monthly."

After 12 months reset your goal.

The awesome part about doing this is that you can then start breaking the BIG goal into mini goals that will help you accomplish it. I can take a look at each bullet point and break those down.

Let's try "I would like to pay off our credit card in 12 months."

I can then break down what it would take to make bigger payments on my card in order to reduce it within a year. But part of reducing it and paying it off is also not using it! So I then have to figure out what we use it for and how to move those items into our normal checking account payments. So I go from having a YEAR GOAL to having an obtainable monthly goal. 

If you have a goal similar to mine, I found it easy to make a calendar spreadsheet where I marked down days when bills went out and highlighted those in RED. My goal was to reduce those RED days, which meant that financially we were stable the whole month. If it makes juggling when bills get sent out, giving up a monthly expense that is more of a luxury... the point is that you have a visual of your money for the month. I personally was shocked by how much WENT OUT and how little WENT IN! It forced me to take a look at each of those "going out" items and figuring out if they were something we truly needed. Maybe we gave up HBO on our cable bill or reduced the time we went out to eat. (Seriously mark down how many times you "eat out" each month and how much you spent. It can be CRAZY!)

This is just one example... there are so many other ways to accomplish these goals and your goals.

The point is, write it down! I went from assuming to knowing and with that knowledge I became so much more powerful. We clearly aren't anywhere near the end, but its a start. And if you never start, then you will just keep the cycle going.

So what is your why? Is it specific enough? Can you keep breaking it down into mini goals?

For more information on Chalene's PUSH or Beachbody please contact me at:

http://beachbodycoach.com/erikalevarse

mommyburgh@gmail.com

twitter: PGHmommy