So, last blog I committed to writing out more goals to move myself along financially. On reflection with that last blog, I realized I wasn’t only living in option 3 “patience” but had also been skating along for the last 5 years in option 2 “staying in the same income bracket & hoping that somehow life would get easier”. An optimistic approach to be sure, but certainly not a proactive one. And I realize I’ve been using that strategy for a good part of my working life. There are times when sitting still *is* called for. At some point it is also important to assess the effectiveness of that strategy and determine the next course of action. In my case it was/is not a very effective method for getting ahead financially.

Having made a career change to an entirely different industry after nearly two decades, I’ve been in a period of growth and cultivation for the past 3 years. I couldn’t simply turn around and do what I ultimately wanted to, it’s taken some preparatory ground work. Needing to work within the constraints of the contract under which our company works for an outside agency, overcoming the obstacle of educational requirements needed to reach my desired position and simply putting in time to gain experience in the field have all been essential to reaching my goals. The trick, however, is not to fall into complacency in the cultivation process. I now have to step up the efforts again to ensure that I’m not waiting patiently….for nothing to happen.

So that’s why I accepted a challenge to move myself along in this process and write out my strategies for getting where I want to go:

I have set a date for completion of my current education which will qualify me to obtain the work I seek both with my current employer and by obtaining contracts in my own self-employed capacity.

I have also set dates by which I will be earning a certain salary doing the desired work within the company. I have set a date to assess whether I can reasonably meet that goal or if due to reasons beyond my own control (limitations of our contract), I will need to invoke a backup strategy to increase my income. I have created that strategy and a date by which to invoke it if necessary. It won’t take me away from work and an employer that I love, but it will hopefully shift things to make my life more financially manageable and allow me to stop feeling “stuck” due to circumstances beyond my/our control.

I have committed to a small and manageable automatic savings plan between now and my next pay raise, and further, have committed to resuming contributions to my RRSPs to begin with my next pay raise (about 6 months). I have also created a strategy to eliminate one of my monthly expenses and potentially even earn a small amount of income at the same time. I have until the end of the year to enact the plan or let go of the convenience that I am paying for and re-direct that money to somewhere its needed more.

It wasn’t as hard to do this goal setting as I thought it would be. It still feels scary to set goals and fear I won’t be able to reach them. I’m choosing to put my faith in intention and trust that by committing myself to the plan I’ve designed, the Universe will conspire to make it happen!