7 Steps To Achieve Financial Freedom
How To Multiply Your Income By The End Of The Year
Financial Freedom is within you reach. If not earlier, usually by mid-year, many of us have given up on the financial goals we set in way back in January.
But that doesn’t matter, because I’m going to share with you 7 steps you can take now to achieve financial freedom before the end of the year.
When I started on my financial journey 35 years ago, I knew right away that I didn’t want to settle for just a paycheck. I wanted the ability to earn more based on my desire and willingness to do so. Since then I’ve met many financial road blocks, but I’ve consistently set new goals and always tried to learn from my mistakes.
What I am about to share with you came through my own personal experiences over a lifetime of personal growth. These philosophies and principles were taught to me by others who have graciously shared their secrets and wisdom. Exceptional leaders like Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracey and Robert Kiyosaki.
You’re going to learn in this post the proven steps that will position you to become more successful and multiply your income quickly. You may want to print this post out and refer to it daily. Get ready to accelerate your path to financial freedom.
Everyone has dreams and goals, but the one thing that I find common among everyone is that we all want to be rich. Now, before you shun that term, realize that the definitions of rich may vary.
Napoleon Hill, author of the classic Think and Grow Rich, said “A positive attitude is the number one attribute that constitutes real riches”.
The Problem
The biggest problem most people make is they never take action on the goals they set out to achieve. Earning more money is usually among the top 3 goals made every year, yet few will take the steps necessary to actually increase their income.
Typically what happens is, people try something new for a short period of time, run into some problems and rarely follow through completely on their plan. They make excuses like, “I don’t have time”, yet they go home and flip on the television as they sink into the couch. We all have 24 hours in a day, so it’s how we use our time that matters.
– Rich people have about 24 hours every day.
– Poor people have about 24 hours every day.
“Time is more valuable than money.”
~Jim Rohn
7 Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom
So, here’s the first step to achieving financial freedom.
1. Set aside time everyday for Personal Development
What is personal development? Personal development is a lifelong process, but simply it’s a way improve your skills and knowledge. Reading is one of the best ways I’ve found to increase your knowledge and improve yourself. Ask yourself, are you spending your time wisely to better yourself? Instead of taking risks on speculative investments, consider if you are investing in yourself as a person. What are you reading and whom are you listening to?
“You are the same today as you will be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.”
~Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones
Since this entire blog is fundamentally based on mental capacity, it is pertinent to recognize the importance of having a positive attitude. As Earl Nightingale pointed out, you become what you think about. If you want to win in the financial game, you have to have the attitude of winning. Denis Waitley said, “It’s really all in your attitude.”
2. Be Willing to Change
Changing behaviors is not easy, just ask any parent. Furthermore, if the behavior is an addiction, this can sometimes translate into nearly impossible.
It is possible to change, even to overcome addictions, if you have a strong enough desire. Napoleon Hill refers to this as a burning desire.
You have to change if you want change to happen. You must be willing to accept complete responsibility for your success or failure.
It helps to understand that there are stages of change, it usually doesn’t happen in one step or without effort.
Your willingness to change depends on your desire. For one person, making a minimum wage is enough for them to decide they want become wealthy and make a change. For another person, losing their home because they lost their job is not enough for them to consider changing careers.
This range of willingness to change has actually been well studied and documented. Often it takes “hitting bottom” or something drastic to cause some individuals to seek help or make a change.
“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.”
~Les Brown
If you understand this, and you truly desire change, then it shouldn’t be hard to charge. It will take effort, and your efforts will be driven by your desire. So, find out “why” you want to change, and your problems will be solved.
3. Be Persistent
Persistence is absolutely necessary if you want to be successful. Life has a way of offering up problems and dead-ends.
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
~Calvin Coolidge
You can accomplish your goals in less time when you laser focus on your goals daily. It will take effort, determination and persistence. The good news is, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you may have to change your habits, your friendships, and maybe even let go of some sacred beliefs.
Persistence is simply your power to control your will. When you combine your willpower and your desire, you will accomplish your goals. Persistence is the difference between success and failure. The lack of this quality, more than any other, keeps the majority of people from reaching their goals. When the going gets tough, they quit.
If you’re to accomplish your goals, you must form the habit of persistence. Things will get difficult, and at some point it will seem like there is no reason to continue. Everything and everyone will tell you to give up, to quit. But, persistence will keep you in the game, and many times that last bit of extra effort will allow you to continue. You will slowly begin to see the signs of accomplishment, and the abundance that is to be yours because you had the courage to persist.
4. Invest In Yourself
Through all of my experiences, one thing that I have done is continue with my education. I’ve purchased literally hundreds of books, cd’s and training programs on finance, business and success. And, if I had it to do over again, I would. You see, these investments were in myself. They were an investment in my knowledge, and this knowledge can never be taken away from me.
In reality, you can learn everything you need to know about practically any subject by simply reading. You can get the equivalent of a college degree or even a doctorate, by visiting your local library. And today you can get most of it online, either way it’s basically free.
By simply reading 15-30 minutes per day, you can read a book per month. That means you could read 10 books per year! That’s more than 95% of the population and that would provide you with expert knowledge. You can use this expert knowledge to build your fortune.
“If you spend an extra hour each day of study in your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less.”
~Earl Nightingale
5. Create Another Source of Income
Even if you’re comfortable and make a good salary, if you have a desire to be rich, you need to create another source of income. You never know what tomorrow will bring, so it’s smart to have a Plan B. I’m not suggesting that you quit your job, only that you do something on the side that you love to do, that will enable you to increase your income.
“The biggest mistake people make in life is NOT making a living at doing what they most enjoy.”
~Malcolm Forbes
Becoming an entrepreneur changed my life. And, once you experience the thrill of earning a profit from your efforts, it will be hard for you to ever work only for wages again. In its’ truest sense, this is capitalism.
“Profits are better than wages. Wages make you a living; Profits make you a fortune.”
~Jim Rohn
As a lifelong entrepreneur I started with my own paper route at age 11. From there I sold t-shirts and eventually opened a retail store. I worked door-to-door selling bibles to pay my way through college.
I’ve invested in the stock market, real estate, and multiple businesses. But where I find the most satisfaction is by creating value by serving others, and teaching them how they can do the same. Today, I earn my living as a financial consultant where I teach others how to protect and create multiple sources of income.
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value.”
~Albert Einstein
You can create financial success relatively quickly as an entrepreneur. If you want to be wealthy (rich), you have to educate yourself on money and how it works through your own self education.
In his bestselling book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki describes how you can create wealth by increasing your cash-flow. If you work in a traditional job and get paid by the hour or for a salary, you may think this is impossible. And, to an extent it is, primarily because you have to depend on others for your paycheck.
If you are not happy with your income and you strive to attain higher financial goals, maybe it’s time to start a business. Most people have thought about owning their own business, but fear they could not be successful. Many times this fear is brought on by naysayers or a false illusion in our minds. Zig Ziglar calls this False Evidence Appearing Real or FEAR. You can overcome these fears by simply changing who you associate with and surrounding yourself with positive, goal-oriented people.
There are obviously MANY choices when it comes to business, so you’ll want to be very careful here. You don’t want to waste your time taking on projects that aren’t going to bare fruit. A business can take a LOT of time, and can actually wind up costing you money if you’re not cautious. You have to respect your time, and treat it like a business, not a hobby.
When choosing or starting any business, you’ll want to keep 2 things in mind:
1. Do what you enjoy
2. Find a starving audience
One of the best options for starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is network marketing. Network marketing companies typically have a low-cost of entry and provide excellent training.
Another benefit of network marketing is that it allows you to become a leader and serve others. When you increase your results, you can help others to increase their results and achieve their goals.
“You can have everything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want.”
~Zig Ziglar
Probably the greatest benefit of network marketing is that you can work from home, even part-time. So, you don’t have to quit your day job until you have created the income you desire. And, you can potentially earn more part-time from home than you could full-time at a normal job.
6. Leverage Your Assets
Leverage can jump start your improvement efforts and deliver new levels of performance and profitability, so that you will be able to sustain and fuel future income growth. Once you learn how to identify your key leverage points, you can improve your efforts and focus on the right areas.
You can use various financial instruments or borrowed capital to increase the potential return of an investment. Often times debt is used to finance assets. This can come with risk, so it is vital to seek professional advice and monitor your ratios closely.
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” ~Archimedes
Leverage can also be used as a source of human capital. For instance, utilizing the knowledge of others. Learn from those who have been successful doing what you want to do. Chances are there is someone right in your community who has created great wealth in your particular field or occupation. Perhaps you want to create wealth in another industry, you can. There are no limits as to what you can do.
Your income tends to reflect the average income of the people you most associate with. So, it makes sense to seek out those people that have the income you desire.
“Take a good look at your friends and you will see your future.” ~Denis Waitley
7. Take Action
Now that you know what to do you must take action. Making a decision is not enough, you have to start moving. Analysis of the subject creates procrastination. When you look at people who have accumulated fortunes they have formed the habit of reaching decisions promptly and taking action.
You have to take action on what you’ve learned and focus your efforts in order to succeed. The problem with most people is, even though they may have the knowledge to do some particular thing, they lack putting the necessary action behind that knowledge.
The majority of people who fail are usually easily influenced by the opinions of others. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Close friends and relatives, often with good intentions, often create negativity through uninformed opinions. Form your own decisions and seek counsel wisely. Choose to listen only to those who will be in complete sympathy and harmony with your purpose.
You Can!
Regardless of where you are in life, you can change today! You don’t have to depend on, or wait on anyone to reach your financial goals.
Expect to make more money and you will. Think big and commit to an amount, whether it’s $100,000, $500,000 or $1 Million. Be definite with the amount you want to earn, fix in your mind that exact amount. Write it down and make a deadline for the time you will earn that amount.
Start seeing the money come into your hands. Think of all the good that it can bring, freedom, opportunity and abundance. Make up your mind, stick to your plan, and be willing to make adjustments.
Follow these 7 Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom
1. Set aside Time everyday for Personal Development
2. Be Willing to Change
3. Be Persistent
4. Invest In Yourself
5. Create Another Source of Income
6. Leverage Your Assets
7. Take Action
Now Is The Time to Achieve Financial Freedom
Now that you know what to do, Really Do It. Really achieve Financial Freedom!
Are you going to dream about this or really do it?
Really print this out right now.
Really paste this next to your computer right now.
Really read these steps and follow this process daily for 30, 60, 90, 180 days.
Do it now, and don’t let anything get in the way of this.
Find Your Focus – How To End Procrastination
If you follow these steps and make the commitment to follow through on each one, you will be successful. Take each step, and tailor it to your desires. Read them aloud every day with passion and desire because when you do, you will achieve your goals!
Please let me know how this plan has helped you. I want you to succeed and nothing would please me more than hearing your success story. Like, comment and share this post.
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Until next time,
Take action on your goals!
Barry Page
Barry Page is a recognized author and publisher of multiple blogs, websites and videos. He is a leading expert on private banking and is a Registered Financial Consultant. He specializes in showing families how to increase their happiness, health and prosperity. His business is based in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and he services clients throughout the country.
