4 Steps to Changing Your Life

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Success is a process. So, if you want to change your financial circumstances, you need to adopt a financial success process that automates success.

#1 Create a Blueprint of the Life You Desire

The success process always begins with a vision of the ideal, future life you desire. This could be ten, fifteen or twenty years into the future.

That future life is actually the realization of a collage of dreams that forms the picture of your ideal, perfect, future life. Each dream is something very personal that you desire – the ideal job, $1 million in your investment accounts, a vacation home, no debt, good health, etc.

Your dreams must be what You want. Not what others want for you. Putting your ladder on someone else’s wall will eventually lead to unhappiness and a life of drudgery. As Steve Jobs said in the 2005 Stanford commencement address: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living some Else’s life.”

Pursue YOUR dreams. Not those of your parents, teachers or some other significant influence in your life.

Below is the process to create a blueprint of the life you desire:

  1. Create a Script of Your Ideal Future Life – Pretend it is ten years into the future and you are writing in your journal. Describe in detail every amazing thing about this ideal, future life of yours. Also, describe your journey over the past ten years – Exactly what happened over the past ten years? Shoot for 500-1,000 words.
  2. Identify Each Dream – Define each specific dream that is a component of your ideal, future life,
  3. Create Goals Around Each Dream – Build individual goals around each dream. In order to realize a given dream, it may require that you accomplish numerous goals. Once you accomplish those goals, your dream will be realized. Think of each dream as a rung on a ladder. Every time you realize a dream, you climb that ladder, dream by dream, until you reach the top. At that top sits your ideal, future life.
  4. Create Habits Around Your Goals – The final step requires that you forge daily habits (goal habits) that, when accomplished each day, brings you closer to achieving each individual goal.

Building new daily habits isn’t difficult if you know what to do. It simply takes time and consistency. Consistency is the key.

#2 Grow Every Day

Becoming that ideal version of yourself requires that you grow into the person you need to be in order to realize financial success. You do that by forging growth habits:

  • Learn everything about your job and the industry you are in.
  • Learn everything about the dream you are pursuing.
  • Learn everything about the people who can help open doors for you – the influencers.
  • Learn everything about significant current events. They might come up in conversation with someone who may be a future door-opener (influencer).
  • Every day, learn at least one new fact related to what you do. Document those new facts. I use a Fact Binder for this.
  • Every day, learn at least one new word. Document your new words. Use them in conversation that very first day you learn the new word. Write down your new words. I use a Vocabulary Binder for this. It’s broken us into various sections: Words to Use in Writing, Words to Use in Speaking, Words Specific to My Industry/Profession. The words we use create perceptions. Being good with words makes you sound articulate and more intelligent. You want others to see you as intelligent.
  • Learn something outside your comfort zone; something that will challenge your thinking and force you to re-evaluate your beliefs. The wrong beliefs will hold you back in life,

#3 Change Your Inner Circle

We pick up most of our habits from those in our inner circle: parents, teachers, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, mentors, coaches, etc. Those who you associate with frequently will infect you with their habits. For those who desire to become wealthy, it is therefore paramount to associate with individuals who are on the same path you are on.

  • Those on the Saver-Investor Path in my study surrounded themselves with other individuals who shared their smart money habits.
  • Those on the Corporate Climber Path in my study forged Power Relationships with senior executives within their company and/or their industry.
  • Those on the Virtuoso Path will in my study had close friends and colleagues who were also seeking to become the best at what they did to make money.
  • Those on the Dreamer-Entrepreneur Path in my study surrounded themselves only with individuals who helped mentor, encourage and support them during their journey.

The common thread among all of the different types of self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study was the intentional, conscious effort they made to associate with like-minded individuals.

In short – choose your path to wealth and then surround yourself with others who are on the same path.

#4 Change Your Outer Circle

Your outer circle includes individuals you do business with and individuals you respect and with whom you periodically seek advice from.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

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Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
Phone Number: 732-382-3800 Ext. 103.
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