Your life is ever-evolving and multi-faceted, and so are your goals. Wiegers Financial & Benefits offers a holistic approach to financial planning to ensure that no matter how your circumstances and goals change and no matter how complex they become, we cover all of the bases. In our latest blog post Cliff Wiegers speaks about his experience with goal planning and how set and find your path with it.

When I first started my career years ago, I was told to set goals every year.  Initially I focused these goals around business and finance, and never paid any real attention to the other aspects of my life.  As the year progressed, though, I spent more time on these other aspects.  I always set really high goals – and missed them a lot of them – but still made some pretty good progress.

Fast forward to 2008 when one of my longtime team members, Lisa Boechler, gave me a book entitled “5: Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?”  This book is about goal setting for the next five years of my life.  A few very interesting – and highly motivating – statistics cited in the book are as follows:

“People who regularly write down their goals earn nine times as much over their lifetimes as the people who don’t, and yet 80% of Americans say they don’t have goals.  Sixteen percent do have goals, but they don’t write them down.  Less than four percent write down their goals, and fewer than one percent actually review them on an ongoing basis.  Guess which one percent?”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants personal and professional growth in their life.  The book is an easy read, and provides readers with a fill-in-the-blank style blueprint to complete regarding their goals over the next five years.

It worked so well for me that I needed a second copy of the book, and I recommended it to anyone who shows interest in growth.  The amazing thing about setting goals is that you first think it, then write it out, and tell someone what your goals are for the next five years in all areas of your life.  By doing this, you will get that person in your brain subconsciously to go to work without you even realizing it.  Even if you don’t consciously work on your goals, you will find that you’ve accomplished many of them.  One year later, if you take the time to review them, don’t be scared to shoot for the stars.  You never know where you will end up.  The beauty of the book 5 is that it covers every spoke in the wheel of life.

I genuinely hope you do this for yourself.  It’ll be worth it in spades.

 

Clifford A. Wiegers, CFP, TEP, Ch.F.C., CLU, B.Comm.

Insurance Representative, Wiegers Financial and Insurance Planning Services Ltd.

Financial Planner, Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.