Yogi Berra is said to have said: "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." It sounds like something he would have said, or should have said.

The pain of budgeting is exceeded only by the pain of goal-setting. The pain of budgeting can be relieved by the prior pain of goal-setting. The efficiency of budgeting is increased by prior goal-setting. Set your long-term goals; then budget. Write down these goals. Then write down your budget.

Goals are long-term, mid-term, and short-term. They should begin with eternity. They rarely do. I cover this in my book, Unconditional Surrender. (You will need the free DjVu reader to download it.)

Next, to set your long-term goals, focus on a date in the distant future. Imagine your 70th birthday party. The family has gathered. You give a 7-minute speech on what you have accomplished, how you accomplished it, and why you think you made the correct choices. Write that speech today, the way you would like it to be. This exercise will help you set your long-term goals.

Until you do this, don't bother trying to implement the articles in this department. You aren't ready.

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