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Hey, we've been talking about tons of
practical steps on the show, budgeting,

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saving, cutting cost, and tackling debt.

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But why are we doing all this without a
clear target, it's easy to lose steam.

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Today, let's define your
next specific financial goal.

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Hey there, and welcome back
to Your Daily Ask Ralph.

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I'm Ralph.

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It's great to be with you as we continue
this series of ours, the Joy of Living

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Below your means, still pursuing our
plan to break that cycle of financial

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shame and do it with confidence.

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We've covered a lot of
ground on the how to.

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Today we're gonna focus on the what for.

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So maybe you're diligently implementing
some of the things we've talked about.

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Maybe for you it's tracking or
making coffee at home, packing lunch.

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Maybe you even started that baby emergency
fund or made an extra debt payment.

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That's fantastic.

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That's progress, and
that's worth celebrating.

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But sometimes even when doing the right
actions, sometimes we just feel a bit

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adrift, like you're just going through
the motions Without a clear destination

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in mind, I. Then when things get
tedious or sacrifice feels hard, maybe

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you start to wonder  what's the point?

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Or maybe you find your motivation waning.

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Well, that feeling of lacking
clear direction or purpose for your

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financial efforts, making it hard
to stay motivated for the long haul.

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Well, that's the single difficulty
we're hitting today and hear me on

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this aimless effort rarely leads to
significant results, just doesn't.

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Let's focus our aim today.

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Here's the thing, the Bible
tells us this, where there is

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no vision, the people perish.

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That's right from the book of Proverbs,
chapter 29, verse 18, having a clear

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vision, a specific goal, those things
give our actions, meaning and direction.

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Back to the Bible.

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The Book of Habakkuk, chapter two even
says this, write the vision, make it plain

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on tablets, so he may run who reads it?

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Now, I'm gonna tell you right
now, that's profitable scripture.

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And the truth is, a well-defined
goal acts like a compass.

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It guides our daily financial
decisions and providing the

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why behind the sacrifice.

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It turns those vague hopes into
something like getting better with money.

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It turns those into concrete
targets, those concrete targets

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that we can actually aim for
and measure progress against.

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So you might be sitting there
wondering, Ralph, what can we do?

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How do we inject that needed
purpose and that motivation

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into our financial journey?

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How do we give direction to
all these practical steps

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that you're given every day?

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Well, let me just tell you, the
single vital solution is to define

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one specific, measurable, achievable,
relevant, and time bound financial goal.

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We'll call those smart goals, and I'll
talk about that in a few minutes, but

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that's what we're gonna be working
towards right now instead of just

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generally trying to quote, do better.

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I want you to get specific.

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Ask yourself what's your priority right
now based on where you are right now.

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Maybe our previous episodes could
guide you, but what's the most

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important next thing maybe for you,
it's finishing in that $500 emergency

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fund, or maybe it's paying off that
first debt on the snowball list.

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Maybe for you it's saving for a specific
upcoming need, maybe like car repairs.

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But here's the deal.

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You gotta make it smart.

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So let's chat for a moment about
what that smart means, and I'm

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gonna break it down for you.

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Letter by letter starts with specific.

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You gotta know exactly what
you want to achieve, not just

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save money, but save $500.

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The M is for measurable.

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How will you know when you've reached it?

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And our example of that,
$500 in the account.

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That's the measurable goal.

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A is for achievable.

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You gotta ask yourself, is this realistic?

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Given your current situation,
maybe $500 is achievable in two

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months, but this is where you've
gotta be honest with yourself.

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Can I really achieve this?

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The R stands for relevant.

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You gotta ask yourself, does
this goal actually matter to

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you and align with your values?

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And then finally, the T time bound.

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By when do you aim to achieve this goal?

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So let's say, for example, we say
we're gonna save that $500 in a

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specific account by July 31st.

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So let's review those things.

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Again, specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant, and time bound.

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And here's the truth, having
one clear written down goal will

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provide you with incredible focus.

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And let's face it, at times
we can all use a little focus.

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The solution is focused purpose.

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You gotta define one smart goal.

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Okay?

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This requires a little thought.

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So here's your one action step for today,
or perhaps take some quiet time tonight

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or this weekend for this reflective task.

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I want you to start by reflecting on
your priority based on everything we've

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discussed, whether that's the debt list.

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Or maybe the emergency fund.

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You get the idea what is the single
most important financial task

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that you need to accomplish next?

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And then I want you to
define your smart goal.

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Take 15 minutes with pen and paper
or use your phone and write down

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the priority as that smart goal.

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And you got to be specific.

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I'll give you a couple examples.

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For example, save $500 cash
in my baby emergency fund by

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July 31st by saving $65 a week.

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That is a smart decision.

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Or this one, pay off X store credit card.

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Maybe that's your smallest debt.

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Completely by September 30th by making
minimum payments plus X number of

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dollars extra payment each month.

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Again, a very smart goal, or let
me give you this one as well.

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Maybe it saves $300 for upcoming
car registration or car repairs

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by August 15th by automating
that savings at $50 a paycheck.

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So once you've got that figured
out in your mind, next you wanna

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write it down and be clear about it.

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Make sure it's written somewhere
where you can see it regularly.

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I would, I would dare say, see
it every day, because as I always

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say, what gets measured gets done.

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And now you're probably asking
Ralph, well, what's the point?

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Why define this one goal?

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Well, here's why.

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It directly fights that challenge
of aimless effort and that fading

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motivation we talked about today.

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It gives all those daily actions purpose,
you know, things like packing lunch,

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skipping coffee, tracking expenses.

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It, it really defines that clear purpose.

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It provides a target to shoot
for, a milestone to celebrate,

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and a powerful reason to stay
disciplined when temptation arises.

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Well, let's pray together.

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Father God, you are a God of
purpose and a God of order.

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Lord, help my friend listening
right now as they seek to define

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their next specific financial goal.

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Lord, grant them wisdom to identify
the right priority for this season.

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Lord, give them clarity as they
make it specific and measurable.

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We ask you to bless this goal,
Lord, and and bless their

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efforts towards achieving it.

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May this defined vision provide for
them, focus and motivation and a deeper

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sense of partnership with you in managing
their finances, and we just thank you so

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much for guiding us step by step in our
lives, and we ask this in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Alright, well take that moment
for reflection and write down your

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smart goal today, because the truth
is, like I said, having a clear

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target makes all the difference in
staying motivated on this journey.

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And it's a journey.

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You're not just saving money,
you're working towards something

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specific and important.

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Now listen, having a
specific goal is crucial.

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But understanding the deeper
why behind the goal can provide

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even more powerful motivation.

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So be sure to join me back here tomorrow
on Ask Ralph as we ask beyond the goal.

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What's your deeper why?

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That's gonna be the
focus of tomorrow's show.

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I. And if this episode helped you focus
your efforts, I wanna encourage you, share

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it with somebody, share it with somebody
else who might need to focus as well.

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And I'll also ask you to
consider supporting this show.

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You can do that by going to our
new website that's financially

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confident christian.com/support.

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So until tomorrow, define your target.

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Aim true and always
keep seeking him first.

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And let's keep building momentum in
our quest to be financially confident

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Christians stay financially savvy.

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And God bless you and you
have a great day today.