by Michelle C. Braun

When I saw the cover of Men’s Health magazine’s March, 2009 edition, I was struck by this quotation “I don’t expect success.  I train for it.” 

These words came from actor Ryan Reynolds who recently completed the New York City Marathon to raise money for the fight against Parkinson’s disease.  I read these words and then read the entire article.  Once finished, I thought, “So, that’s how he got Scarlett Johansson to marry him.  He is purposeful and has confidence.”  (I am sure the fact that he is also a cutie-pie had nothing to do with it.)

Based on the headlines about the current global economic cataclysm, it seems like financial fitness is an area we could all train to be more successful in. 

So, what does it mean to train?  The dictionary provides several definitions:

1. To prepare physically, as with a regimen: train athletes for track-and-field competition.
2. To make proficient with specialized instruction and practice.
3. To focus on or aim at (a goal, mark, or target); direct.

One training technique is to set SMART goals.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

First set your goal. You may want to eradicate your debt, which is a broad ambition.  To narrow your focus, get more Specific.  Here are some thought starters:
• eradicate credit card debt [insert amount here]
• establish a six-month emergency fund [insert amount here]
• put aside enough for a world-class vacation [insert amount here]
• pay cash for a car [insert amount here]
• save enough to put yourself through five years of college [insert amount here]
• set aside 20% of the cost of your dream house [insert amount here]

Notice the phrase [insert amount here] is after each of these potential goals.  It is critical that your goal can be Measured (so that you can know when you have successfully reached the goal).

Now, break the goal down into manageable steps.  Let’s say your objective is to pay off $500 of credit card debt.  Perhaps you don’t have $500 on hand, and the goal seems overwhelming.  It may seem more Achievable to pay $100 per month. 

Make sure the goal is Relevant to you.  If your family is pressuring you to save enough to go to law school, but you really want to become an arborist, you probably will not focus the time and energy necessary to achieve their goal.

Finally, make sure you set a Time-frame for accomplishing the goal.  In the afore-mentioned credit card example, we can say it will take approximately 6 months to eliminate that debt.  ($100 a month for five months, and one month to pay off the interest that you incurred.) 

Being SMART and purposeful about your goals can give you the confidence you need to expect and train for financial success.

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Michelle C. Braun  has more than 14 years of global experience in corporate training and professional development.  She has Bachelor degrees in English and Communications from the University of Michigan, and a Masters degree in Education from the University of North Carolina. 

A true citizen of the world, Michelle was born in New York to a British father and American mother.  She spent her formative years in England and the United States.  She also lived in Japan for two years while teaching English as a Second Language. 

Michelle is a founding member of Roadmaps To SUCCESS.  Please visit her site at www.RoadmapsToSUCCESS.com.

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