Money motivation secret -- a possible vision of the future

Question: My wife and I are both pretty responsible with our money, but we know we could do better. About once a year we get all fired up to do everything right, then three months later our great plans have all been forgotten. What is the secret to long-term motivation when it comes to money?

Answer: What do you want?

Most of us are better at knowing what we don't want than what we do want. But running from something turns out to be a toxic form of motivation in the long term.

On the other hand, think about the last time you really did a great job of planning a big vacation. The anticipation is really half the fun. Your motivation level for packing, etc. goes sky high when you are focused on a positive goal - like getting away to that special vacation spot you love.

Try this three step process to tap into your natural motivations to create a positive financial future:

1. Dream it - imagine your ideal future. This is the step most often overlooked, yet it is the most important step. Without it, the subsequent steps all become drudgery.

This is not easy work - it takes time and effort. But it is so worth it…and it can be downright fun, too! You can get great first draft of your ideal vision of the future by asking yourself a few questions:

"What is really important to me?" That will define your core beliefs and values.

"What do I really like to do?" That will help you identify your strengths and passions.

"What am I meant to do?" That will help you tap into a sense of purpose and mission.

In order to sustain long-term motivation, you need a very clear picture in your mind of what life would look like if you could operate in your areas of strength, doing something you love to do, and that gave you a sense of purpose and even mission.

Wow! Isn't that the good life?

2. Design it - plan your ideal future. Now you need a set of blueprints. And when you know where you want to head, your financial priorities become obvious.

You have to identify your available resources, which are always limited. That means you have to say no to some things in order to say yes to other things. Evaluate the options available to you, make your choices and then write out an action plan for implementing those choices.

3. Do it - move towards your ideal future. Eventually the moment of truth comes when you have to do something. Whether it is saving a certain amount of money, getting out of debt, changing your lifestyle or getting professional help, all the dreaming and planning in the world is useless unless you put shoe leather to it.

What do you think most of us want to do when we feel a smidgen of motivation come over us? That's right, we go straight to number 3 because we're Americans we like to DO things.

But don't you do it. Don't skip the dreaming and planning stages.

The day will come when the fog of demotivation rolls in during your journey. When it does, you're going to need the emotional lighthouse of a personalized vision of your ideal future to keep yourself on track.

So get busy dreaming.