Will this be the beginning or the end?

It is interesting where you learn something.  I was sitting in a meeting, bored, tired and only half listening when the speaker said how the word ought is the most useless word in the English language.  That got my mind going.  When do we use the word ought?  What are the possibilities for the word ought?

1. The government ought to…..
2. My company ought to…..
3. My spouse ought to…..
4. I ought to…..
5. My parents ought to…..
6. My investments ought to…..

See, aren’t all these just excuses to do nothing because things in life should be different. We are not going to do anything because everyone else should be doing something for us, to us or with us.  So as I thought through the speaker’s conversation I came to the conclusion that the following phrase is the most worthless, useless and crippling phrase for our financial well-being.

…Ought to

So how do we get out of the “ought to” cycle?  See what we need is action.  What we need is to take steps to take control of our financial circumstances, our financial success and our financial future.  “Ought to” is not going to get it done.  The following things will get it done:

1. I will
2. I am
3. I did
4. I have a plan of action

These are the phrases that will lead to financial success, personal success and a better future.  It’s up to us to take control of what we can do, not let what someone else might do or might happen to us dictate our success.  If we leave our future up to destiny most of us will never have a destiny worth dreaming about.

So what are you doing today,

for tomorrow’s success?

You need to come to the belief that you control your future!  If you believe they control your future you have lost.  That is a loser’s decision.  So what are the steps that we should take going forward towards being successful financially?

1. Do a discovery process.  Find out what you have.
2. Set goals.
3. Create a plan, a process to see if the following match:

• •  What we have?
  • What we are doing?
  • Where we want to be?

1. Adjust our goals and actions appropriately to help potentially increase our odds of future financial success.
2. Implement necessary changes.
3. Monitor our progress on a systematic basis.

Ultimately, be systematic, unemotional and diversified.  But we must take action.  We must take responsibility for our financial future.

This ought not to be the end, but the future!

Sincerely,

Wayne von Borstel, CLU, ChFC, MSFS
Personal Financial Advocate