Make Financial Achievement a Game

Earl Nightingale became famous for his recording called The Strangest Secret. His theme was that we become what we think about. And it is a great truth.

Unfortunately, a lot of people keep thinking about self-defeating ideas that they have adopted, ones that are not even true. One is about how hard it is to succeed in life and how hard it is to get ahead financially.

If you keep thinking that becoming successful with money is a hard and unpleasant necessity, it will be so. In fact, if you keep thinking that way you will probably fail as you get tired of the effort and decide to quit trying.

Most wealthy people have discovered that becoming successful is easiest when you approach it like a game. When you do you can hardly fail. Taking control of your financial life can then become a positive and fun experience.

Making a game of setting and achieving goals, beginning with small ones and moving up to more challenging ones, can play a major role in developing this positive attitude.

To take advantage of this benefit start with one of your goals. Say it is saving up for some special purchase. Make a “temperature” type chart and keep it up to date to show your progress. Display it in a private but prominent place (like your bathroom) where you can see it daily.

Then, mentally congratulate yourself on each mark as it goes up. Remind yourself how wise your decision is to save up for it in advance instead of buying first and charging it on a credit card.

When you do make your purchase you will be amazed at how good it feels. We don't have time to delve into the psychological ramifications of this experience, but it has a lot to do with one's sense of integrity as well as the pleasure of knowing you are getting what you want without incurring the negative impact of debt.

If saving the money first before buying when making a purchase is new to you, you may have to start with a smaller project, one that only takes two or three months. But the real joy comes from paying cash for a major purchase. Paying cash for a new washer and dryer can be great. Paying cash for a new(er) car can be absolutely exhilerating, especially the first time.

This little exercise of using the temperature chart may seem silly. But by making your savings project into more of a game you can make saving a little more fun and make your chances of success more likely.

On the other hand, actually paying cash for your new purchase when the time comes can have significant consequences. There is little of the joy one hopes for in buying something when you know you haven’t earned the right, when you know that no matter how small it is it places an additional stress on an already unmanageable debt.

When you buy with money you have purposely earned and saved for the purpose, when you know you have earned the right to make the purchase, you feel terrific. And, you will truly enjoy owning and using your new possession.