I coach many people who have dreams of living a lifestyle of comfort. They’d like a nice home, investments for a secure future, and enough money in their pocket to feel freedom. But there is one problem. They have begun to believe that they will continue to struggle financially since the dream has not manifested… yet. Even worse, some folks have gone backward in their finances, in recent years, due to a variety of circumstances.

My job is to tell them the truth. Sometimes they resist this truth and have a hard time believing me. It is simply this: It doesn’t matter what your financial status/success has been or not been up to this point. You can turn things around at any moment. Looking into your past is only good for learning. You can see what you thought and the actions you took that led to successful outcomes. You can also look at the habits you continually practiced that did not work so that you do something different.

I’ve been in a position where I had no worries about money. I’ve also been in a position where I had no idea how I was going to pay my next house payment. But what always works, no matter where your finances are currently, is… to know where you’re going.

When I was in a financial funk, I was very clear in my mind that I would find a way to pay all of my bills. I also decided that I would not dip into my retirement fund or borrow the money. I made those boundaries because that’s what felt good for me. You have to create your own rules to live by.

Because I was committed to paying the bills, I always found a way. Sometimes the way found me. The important thing to remember is to get very clear on what you do want, not what you don’t want.

Many people practice giving a majority of their thoughts to all the things they don’t want. They think and say, “I don’t want to go into debt. I don’t want to be late on bill payments. I don’t want to lose my house. I don’t want to struggle forever.”

Guess what my first question is? What do you want? Let’s focus on what you do want in your life, and then you can begin to practice new patterns in both your thinking and actions. Create a road map of uplifting beliefs and inspired actions to your financial goals. Begin to believe that you can attract wealth, no matter what your past looks like.

I like to start the process by getting clear on my big, outrageous goals. You may not be able to dream big right away if you’ve had recent hardships. Just go as big as you can.

Next, I ask myself, “What do I want in the next six months? What are the six most important things for me to be, have, or achieve? What about in a month? This week?” I always write these out or print them from my computer. Then I post in several places to be seen daily. You have to keep your eye on the end result or you will get bogged down by the obstacles that are staring you in the face.

Every moment you have an opportunity to begin your path to wealth. If you fall back into old patterns, quickly forgive yourself and begin again.

Most importantly, remember to have fun in this game of wealth attraction. Most people get very serious and stressed about money. Those who see it as a game are less attached and actually attract more money. Cheers to your wealth!

What do you want? And when? (Now is always a good time.)