Written on 26 December 2018.

HOW TO GET RICH IN 2019

I saw a sign recently that said, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO RICH OR TOO THIN. Now, I actually believe you can be too thin, I’ve seen it—but can you be too rich? I’ve never seen that! So today, as we look IN at our plans, our goals, and our vision for the upcoming year, I’m challenging you to get RICH in 2019! Make becoming rich your goal. And I’m about to tell you exactly how to do it.

Starting next week, in 2019, you have a brand new year. You have a 12 new months to grow. You have 52 untouched weeks to make memory moments with your family and your friends. And you have 365 exciting new days to laugh and to enjoy life.

My hope for you this year is that you will be RICH.

Rich in learning.
Rich in family.
Rich in adventure.
Rich in health.
Rich in peace.
Rich in your soul.

Dolly Parton says, “You can be rich in spirit, kindness, love and all those things that you can't put a dollar sign on.”

To reach this level of richness, you will have to put forth some serious effort. You don’t just automatically have an amazing family with motivated, respectful kids and a loving, peaceful atmosphere at home. You have to WORK for that. Is it worth all the effort? Yes, it is. It is worth everything you can pour into it. Believe me, I have talked with many, many people who would trade everything they have for great kids and a loving home. If you have that, you are truly rich.

So let’s look for just a few minutes on how to be rich in 2019, and what it will take to get you there. Here’s the goal: This time next year, on this week of Christmas, you should be able to look back over your year and clearly see that you have accomplished what you set out to do. So, first, what is it that you want to do?

I’m going to ask you to write it down. A lot of you are thinking, “I can just decide it in my head. It is the same thing. Thoughts are thoughts.” But that’s not altogether true. It’s actually not the same thing at all. Psychologist tell us that we become 42% more likely to achieve our goals if we write them down. Why is this?

One reason is the way our brain works. When you think about your goals, you are using the right side of your brain – the imagination station. But when you take the next step and write down your goals, you are engaging the left side of your brain as well. The left side is the part of your brain that deals with facts and logic. So while the right side of your brain is thinking of what you want from life, the left side is working on a plan. If all you do is think about it, you will not get very far. You need to engage the left side and get your thoughts down on paper.

Write down your goals. Start with this pattern and fill in the blank for the one that applies to you.

On December 26, 2019, I will weigh ____ lbs.
On December 26, 2019, I will have a job doing_______________________
On December 26, 2019, I will have saved $_______________
On December 26, 2019, I will be able to say that I slept an average of 7 hours each night of the week

Now, those are all fairly expected goals. In fact, the 4 most common New Year’s resolutions are to get healthier, to exercise more, to save more money, and to focus on self-care— i.e. get more sleep! Researchers tell us that lack of sufficient sleep wrecks havoc on our brain, affecting mood, judgment, concentration, memory, and causing us to be susceptible to illness. So start snoozing!

But back to our goals. Yes, these are common goals, but they are still very good goals, and you should keep them in front of you as a specific, measurable targets. But today, I want you to go one step further. I want you to think about what would make you truly rich. Write down a richer goal.

Start with this pattern and fill in the blank for the one that applies to you.

By December 26, 2019, I will have read __________ books this year.
By December 26, 2019, I will have made a point of traveling to __________ places I have never been.
By December 26, 2109, I will be able to count __________ people as close friends that I intentionally invest time into on a regular schedule.

These goals are starting to look like a richer life, but what about the other pieces? What about the areas that you can’t quantify?

How do you measure love?

How do you quantify laughter?

How can you make a line item for peace or happiness?

You may not have a metric for measuring these riches, but you can certainly have them as a goal to keep before you all year. So, go ahead. Write those down too. Do you want more peace? More love? More joy? More respect? More meaningful conversations? More collaboration with your spouse? More adventures with your kids?

This time, use this pattern:

On December 26, 2019, I will know I am rich when I ____________________________.

See, a wonderful life, is a life well-lived. And to live well you need to be rich. Yes, money is a wonderful thing, and I hope that you are motivated and that you already have money goals, investment plans, and income strategies to provide the money you will need. But being rich is so much more.

As we finish out this last year of 2018, take some time to reflect on this past year. There have been a lot of ups and downs. There have been a lot of opportunities – some were taken some were missed. There have been friends – some have stayed, some have gone. There has been happiness, there has been pain. Don’t waste any of those experiences.

Use everything you have learned this past year to make 2019 better. And go into 2019 knowing what you want from this year. Go in with your goals written down, with your plan in place, and with the expectation of success.

I hope this is the richest year you have ever had.

Happy New Year!

And Godspeed to you as you make the rest of your life the best of your life!

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