Oh 2022, how hard you went! For us at Elfin, 2022 was all about continuing to develop the platform so that soon millions of women can be helped to become financially free! The Elfin platform that helps us advance in our financial literacy and close the wealth, retirement, and salary gap again. Financial inequality between men and women is still there, and we are working hard every day to do something about it. Anyway, becoming financially free is what we want to help you with. We know that achieving your financial goals starts with financial self-care. Looking back at 2022, did you take good enough care of yourself in that area? Time for some good intentions!
Could you use a financial coach?
Financial self-care!
Money is the No. 1 cause of stress. Therefore, the best resolution you can have for 2023 is to get your finances in order. Maybe this has been a desire for some time, but you have no idea where to start. We understand that like no other! When we started Elfin, we also had to learn a lot about how to implement healthy financial habits into our lives. Budgeting, mindful spending, saving and investing…the road is long but incredibly worth putting in.
So time for action! Let’s turn those desires into concrete goals and actions. Concrete goals, that is. ‘I also wish to build wealth this year,’ is a wish, not a goal. ‘I am going to set aside €100 every month this year to fill my piggy bank’ is a concrete goal. You can do this!
Setting financial goals for 2023
Looking back on the past year is good. What did you do and how did it go? But above all, look ahead: what will the coming year bring you? Because last year was turbulent due to the geopolitical situation and skyrocketing inflation. What will that be like in 2023? Will inflation stagnate, will we get better times in the stock market again, will geopolitics finally settle down? So every reason to take matters into your own hands and write down what your goals are for 2023. Because goals are the way to achieve your desires and dreams (sabbatical? world trip? own business?) into reality.
Why set goals?
Why setting financial goals is so important?
Goals force you to think about what is important to you. What are your beliefs toward money? What is your definition of financial independence? That’s where it all starts. When you know what is important to you, it is easier to make choices. Still that new sweater, or putting that money away for that trip you want to take? Buying something new for that hobby that makes you happy or mindlessly spending at the supermarket?
Your goals provide direction and allow you to see and feel what you really care about. By returning to your goals each time, you will get a better and better sense of which financial actions fit your ideal life.
42% more likely to succeed
Goal setting thus. And then no goals that express doubt, “it would be nice if,” “maybe I want to. But goals that are concrete, that you know what you want, when you want it and what it will cost. Write these down because scientific research states that writing down your goal is 42% more likely to succeed.
How do you keep focus?
You set goals for a reason. In setting your goals, you often already feel a fire burning within yourself. It gives you focus. But we know better than anyone that due to circumstances, that fire can also become smaller just like that. Setbacks but also the delusion of the day can cause you to push your goals back a bit and you may forget about them a bit. So how do you keep focus?
For example:
- Journaling: Write down your goals, chop them up and reduce them to concrete actions.
- Once a week take your goals and determine what has been completed and what you still want to do;
- Vision board: Write your goals on a board and hang it in a place where you can see them clearly;
- Visualization: Take some time to imagine what your life looks like when you have achieved your goals.
Setting goals and achieving them is incredibly contagious. Once you get the hang of it, the next step is easy. Therefore, always make sure you set goals that make you feel YES. Success tastes sweet, my ladies.
