Friday, June 13, 2008

How Many S’s in Success?

If all goes well, while your email box was receiving this Financial Tip at 5:00 a.m., CDT, I was sleeping on a plane en route from Anchorage to Denver. I am returning from a week of fishing and bear watching with my two sons. The oldest went with me as a reward for his University of Missouri graduation and the youngest went with us, simply, because he loves to fish. Actually, he lives to fish.

Why am I telling you? Well, today’s Financial Tip is about goals.

I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska, ever since a neighborhood pal moved there shortly after Alaska was admitted to the Union. (Boy! Am I old?!) Until this week, I had never visited Alaska and I took my boys with me and they both WANTED to go with me. Now, that is SUCCESS!

A wise man once asked me how many S’s were in the word success. Counting three but knowing he was tricking me, I simply said, “Two”. He replied (of course), “No, you’re wrong. There are five. If you want to have success you need to do the five S’s.”

See it – You must first visualize your goals. See your goals as real and possible. They just might be scheduled for later in life. If you want to quit smoking, visualize yourself not smoking.

Say it – Tell others about your goals. Taking a public stand is very motivational. Others, also, can get on-board to help you.

Sign it – Write your goals down and put them where you see them: on your refrigerator, your mirror, or the first listing in your “contacts” on your cell phone.

Support it – If you know your goals in dollars and time, calculate how much you need to be saving each period (week, month, or year) to reach your goal and then do it. If you want to lose weight, make proper dietary choices and set intermediate goals for your weight.

Stick to it - Accept the fact that you are not perfect. You might miss a deposit, eat one too many Girl Scout cookies, or have a cigar at a social event. Don’t quit trying! Be true to your goals and soon you will be living them.

In closing, I want to thank you for reading this slice of (my) life. We are grateful for both your interest and your help in providing access to our MU Financial Tip of the Week to as many individuals as possible. We want all to reach their Financial Success, regardless of how many S’s they need to reach it.

Robert O. Weagley, Ph.D., CFP(r)

Chair, Personal Financial Planning

University of Missouri

Columbia, MO 65211

27 comments:

Mrs. K. said...

This is a short, but yet very meaningful, story. I will share it with my Personal Finance students this year when we cover goal setting. Thank you!

Ariel R. said...

This article is very informational and helpful. Thank You

Maggie said...

This is a great way to keep up with goals, it keeps them very organized.

Grace said...

The 5 ss in success are very helpful and I will use them when setting goals.

josh said...

thank you for sharing this Mrs.K

Alexa said...

This was a really helpful article. Thank you!

Ciara H. said...

It is important to follow these if you home to be successful with your goals and wishes. It is a very helpful article that is also insightful and inspirational.

Alaina said...

This story was a great way to talk about goals.

parisw said...

this article is very understanding

Britney said...

It is a good way to keep on track and to stay organized.

Lucas said...

The 5 S's could be very helpful for people making goals.

Maddie said...

I think that this is very helpful tool in order to achieve your goals. This is something I will definitely use in the future!

jake c said...

this is a very good way to keep on track and to stay organized with your goals.

Harper said...

Your story was interesting and I will keep the five S's when I make a goal in the future!

Siera P. said...

Great article, thanks for sharing Mrs. K!

Noah said...

This was very helpful.

Jake A said...

great way to keep track and stay on track of your goals

Erin J. said...

This article was very helpful. Sticking to your goal is one of the most important parts of setting a goal.

Brenden said...

This article is very inspiring. Thanks for the article, Mrs. K!

Kimberly M said...

I am very inspired to achieve my goals using this method. Thank you so much for the helpful article!

jake H said...

This was a helpful article great way to stay on top of your goals.

levi said...

Good list I should look at this often

Nick M said...

Nick M
Very helpful article.

Ellie said...

This article was very helpful! I now know how to stay on top of my goals.

Taylor B said...

This is a very organized way to make setting a goal a little easier.

Unknown said...

This article is very inspiring. Thanks Mrs. K! :)

Bailey Demko said...

This information can really help us out! great information thanyou mrs.k