Long-term goal? Try investing money in it

Long-term goals are tricky to set. So I’m trying something different this year. 

With short-term goals, you can simply set aside time to work in a sprint. It’s easy to see the start and end of your project, and the result you want from it.

But with long-term goals, you can’t always see the end, or even the beginning. You’re not totally sure what result you want or how to get there. I often find myself making foggy commitments like “I want to get better at speaking this year.” But what does this mean? By the end of the year, usually nothing. The definition is too flexible. 

I’m trying something new this year for my long-term goals. I’m committing to investing a certain amount of money into them. 

This forces focus, time, and action. 

This year I’ve decided to invest $5,000 into my speaking career. Thus far, I’ve spent about 15% of the budget, and I already have my hands full. I’m taking a comprehensive online class, registering for databases, and looking into training events. 

Previously, with a nebulous long-term goal, I would kick the tires on a few strategies, without really committing to the process. Now that I’m investing real money, I’m invested in the process. I’m setting aside time. 

Do you have a long-term goal that you haven’t made much progress on? What might happen if you committed to investing money into it this year? Try it out with me.