Do you know what the old saying “put your money where your mouth is” means?
If you don’t, it essentially means that you should shut up about what you’re passionate about unless you’re willing to spend the money to support that passion, that dream. Or, put another way, that you should take action to practice what you preach with your pocketbook. Pay up or shut up.
Dream Big!
I want you to go a step further than this. I don’t just want you to pay up or shut up, I want you to dream big and reach huge goals. Stretching yourself and your dreams to new heights. Showing yourself that your goals aren’t just ideas that you have that you may never give any credence to outside of maybe including it on the corner of your goal board. Putting your money where your heart is means that you will be intentional about what you’re doing with your resources to help you get to the outcome you desire.
What are your passions? Your dreams? What would you be willing to sacrifice to make those passions and dreams a reality?
Work backwards
Maybe instead of trying to move forward from today while reaching for a goal in the near or distant future, we try and reverse engineer the matter.
Let me give you an example:
If I wanted to go to Australia on vacation, my first thought would be that it’s a great dream but it’s very expensive.
Anyone who’s ever planned a trip to Australia from the U.S. knows that the majority of us need to plan months, years in advance.
Most would be thinking one of two things, “hey I want to go to Australia in 3 years, let me start saving for this.” Others would be “okay, that’s probably too expensive. Maybe I’ll think of doing this when I have a bit more money.”
A Better way to dream big?
But maybe there’s a third way to look at it, a better way.
Maybe tell yourself this is a goal or this is a future reality.
This is not only going to happen, but I’m the one who’s going to make it happen!
I start looking at where I’m going to go and then work backwards to figure out the logistics of how much I need to save and what steps need to be taken to get there. Included in this is figuring out a rough idea of how much this dream is going to cost including the specifics of all I want to do while I’m there so I make sure that I have a clear picture of what I am dreaming of and what I’m sacrificing for. Then I can start working on the ends and outs of making it happen.
For me, this looks like saving $20 per week for each of my kids for the last 18 months and automatically directing some money into savings for this trip. It also means I know roughly where I want to go and what I want to see when I get there. I’m also letting my friends Down Under know that I’m going to be bringing my family to sleep on their floor for a night or three and can’t wait to see them! This helps me to make the dream more than a vague reality in my head and helps me prepare.
No-holds-barred goal
I know it may be hard to see the difference in the mindset shift. It is a bit subtle.
One is vague. It is a hazy wish I may think of when I see a picture of the Sydney Opera House. The other is a no-holds-barred goal. I’m talking “this is what I’m going to do and I have specific ideas about this goal!” I know what is going to happen to get from point A to Z. And I’m starting on this journey (maybe in baby steps, but still starting) TODAY!
The mentalities between the two are very different. One is seeing it as a reality that is definitely going to happen. The other is making a wish and throwing the penny away in the fountain. To quote my dad, “If wishes were horses, we’d all take a ride.” We don’t achieve our wishes by just passively dreaming them or thinking maybe we’d like to achieve them one day.
You see, goals are amazing!! I love goals! I love making wishes and dreaming crazy dreams! But making a goal with no action steps is as effective as blowing a dandelion in the wind. The wishes stay in your head and the weeds grow where you wanted your dreams to take root. Goals aren’t fulfilled overnight. But setting out to put your money where your heart is will make them easier to achieve. Passion driven with motivation and a plan is powerful!
Reversing the Dream Big Process
Over the last year, I have realized with a firm passion that as much as I love being a nurse, I don’t want to work until I have nothing left to give. I don’t want to go into retirement having no ability to enjoy my life because of the strain my body has been put through. My goal right now is to be able to cut back to 4 days a week in the next 2 years and to be able to retire by the age of 60.
Though these are still far off, this all feels very realistic to me, not because it’s a pie in the sky thought, but because I’ve calculated the end results. I’ve reverse engineered it. I’ve looked at what I would need to achieve to make both realities sustainable.
Realistic clarity comes by reversing the process to see what the steps would have to be to make them happen. Right now it’s still in the dream phase where I may as well hop on the horse for a ride, but because I’ve made this a reality in my head. I’m working to make my heart and my money line up. This allows me to look objectively at what decisions I need to make today to make that a reality.
Positive Outcomes?
Will ALL my dreams and goals come to pass? Will all of yours if you put your money where your heart is?
Most probably no. This is the realistic outcome of our imperfect selves living in an unpredictable world.
Will I work like heck to make all my goals that I’m driven towards come to pass?
Heck yeah!! Once I strive for a goal I become a bit like a dog with a bone!
Yes, I may have to decide at some point to submit that bone. But as long as I want it and am working toward it, it is going to have my attention! GRRRR!!!
Focus on the big picture, future outcomes
It’s so easy for us to go through our day-to-day lives paying for things as they occur.
“Oh, McDonald’s sounds good, let’s get some.”
Or “hey, this place is selling a straight iron I didn’t know I needed for only $19, I need that.”
Set your mind and heart on the things that you truly hold near and dear to your heart. This will help your decisions become more guided. It becomes easier to say no to what doesn’t matter and say big YESes to the things that do!
Some of the decisions that we make every day of our lives are so small. We don’t even realize they’re having an impact on our bottom line. Other decisions, such as direct deposits into an emergency fund or meeting our match, are very active towards our objectives. It’s both the small and the mighty choices that equal success in meeting these big dreams. Start putting your money where your heart is. See what kind of awesomeness awaits when your intentions direct where your pennies, dimes, Hamiltons, and Benjamins go! I can’t wait to see what your money will buy and where your heart will lead you! Mine is charted on a course to Australia and early retirement💛