There is a type of magic that happens to each of us when we’re “in the zone.” This creative feeling comes instructively to everyone when you give yourself over to the things you love. Everyone should take time for this if they want to reach their full potential. When I was younger, I always wanted to be a ballerina, but that never happened because I just wasn’t willing to be bad at it for as long as it would take to get good at it. When you set a goal — whatever it is: to start a business, save for retirement, payoff all your debt or get your dream job, you should pick something you’re really passionate about. You need to really want your goal enough to suffer through the bad times that inevitably will come to knock you off course. You’re going to do things wrong; you’re going to make bad investment decisions; you’re going to have consumer debt; and if you’re wanting that dream job, you may ask for a promotion and not get it. So now what?

The fact is if you can’t pick yourself up and start taking action to improve your situation, then who’s going to do it for you? As sad it sounds, no one cares about your money, your life, or your future more than you do. What happens to your money and how you spend it directly affects the quality of your life, not my life, not your friend’s life, not your financial planner’s life — but only your life. You are the only one who can be what you want and have what you want. I tell you this (something we all know) to encourage you to summon that inner courage inside you and move towards the goal that you want. You already know you are the only one who has the power to attain it. If you have tried and failed, (no matter personal, business, or financial) always learn from it. Figure out where you made the mistakes, devise a plan to correct them, practise the corrections, and do it again. It’s absolutely impossible for anyone to figure out everything ahead of time, so perfectly that they are able to avoid making mistakes. We all must be willing to be wrong, willing to make mistakes and even willing to look foolish to break through the barriers for the success to come.

Here are a couple of tips to get you to those personal and financial goals faster:

1. Give every debt you have an end-date. That means all loans and mortgages must be paid off by the year you retire. Restructure, refinance and re-amortize all debts to become distinguished upon that new date and make sure you never change this date, but instead make the payments necessary to meet this goal.

2. Get an advisor not a salesperson. Not all advisors are the same. A good advisor needs to spend time with you to understand your needs. They need to build a plan that can withstand market declines. You want a plan to fill in the gaps and help you succeed with someone who calls you regularly (not waiting for you to call first) and is focused on your long-term goals. You must build a TEAM.

 3. Lastly, believe you can. Your ability to earn an income is the fastest way for you to improve your lifestyle, save and become successful. Toss those inhibitions aside, bury your past shame, dump your fear. Only you can create the life you deserve, the one that you were born for — believe me, I’ve done it (it wasn’t easy). You can too.

Good Luck & Best Wishes, Christine Ibbotson

(Written by Christine Ibbotson, Author, Finance Writer, National Radio Host, and now on CTV Morning Live, and CTV News @6. Send your money questions to askthemoneylady.ca)

-Christine Ibbotson