March 9th, 2009 
NCN
I have a terrible sense of direction. My wife jokes that I could “get lost going from the front yard to the back.” You can imagine how thrilled I was, a few years ago, to receive a GPS as a birthday gift. Now, I can jump in my car, and safely get from point A to point B, without needless stops at points C, D, and E!
What’s the old saying? The first step to solving a problem is to admit that you have one. I had a problem. I knew that I wanted to be financially independent, but I had no idea how to get from where I was (in debt, broke, and frustrated) to where I wanted to be (free from debt, in control, and at peace). Admitting my own ignorance was the first step. Frankly, knowing what you don’t know can be just as empowering as knowing what you do know.
Instead of wallowing in my circumstances and giving in to my frustrations, I set my mind, and determined to do something about my situation. One of my favorite comedians, the late Jerry Clower, used to say, “There ain’t no shame gettin’ the seven year itch… the shames in keepin’ it.” There’s no shame in being ignorant, the shame is in staying ignorant. I started to read everything I could get my hands on about debt and debt reduction. I read -
Armed with the information gleaned from those books, I sat down with a piece of paper and outlined my goals for for the future.
I started out with a single, ultimate goal – financial independence. I then broke that goal down into several intermediate goals, and then broke those intermediate goals into several smaller goals. I then created a financial road map, my personal plan for achieving each of my personal goals.
Over the course of this week, I’ll be writing several articles about goals, goal setting, and creating your own financial road map. If you have not done so, please consider subscribing to No Credit Needed, via RSS or free daily Email, to keep up with each post in the Setting Personal Finance Goals series.
Debt Reduction Book Giveaway
To get you started, and to keep you motivated, I have also decided to give away five debt reduction books – winner’s choice from the list above. There are several ways you can be considered for the free book giveaway – Feel free to enter the giveaway in each of the following ways -
Win By Commenting -
Simply leave a comment below, with either a question or comment about goal setting. On Friday, I’ll randomly select two winners from all commentors. Those reading via RSS feed or daily Email will need to visit the site to leave a comment. Feel free to leave as many comments as you wish, but your name will be placed “in the hat” only once. Comments take a few minutes to appear. Spam laden comments will be deleted and will not be eligible for the giveaway.
Win By Tweeting -
You will need to have a Twitter account, follow me Twitter.com/NCN, and then Tweet the following message – copy and then paste it.
Win Free Debt Reduction Books – Follow @NCN and re-tweet – Details: http://tinyurl.com/anbtct
On Friday, I’ll randomly select a winner from all tweets. Remember to include @NCN in your tweet, so that I can find it.
Win By Subscribing -
Subscribe to No Credit Needed via daily Email. On Friday, I’ll randomly select a winner from those who have subscribed via daily Email, so be sure to include a valid email address when subscribing.
Win By Blogging -
If you have a blog, simply link to this article, or any article in the Setting Personal Finance Goals series. On Friday, I’ll randomly select a winner from those bloggers who liked to an article in the series. After the winner receives the book, he or she is free to give that book away to their own readers, should they choose to do so.
Details -
Entries will be accepted through 10PM Eastern on Friday, March 13th. I will contact the winners via e-mail and/or Twitter. Note that the winners will receive their books directly from Amazon, so you’ll have to provide me with your U.S. mailing address (no PO boxes, please) so that I can give it to them. Void where prohibited. Winners will be allowed to select a single book, of their choice, from the above listed debt reduction books.
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I would love to get the Dave Ramsey book. Thanks!
This sounds great – I do struggle with goal setting. We went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and I also have read Ron Blue and his goal setting ideas. I know the power of motivation and direction, I just have a hard time crystallizing in my mind what goal I want. I am all over the board and the daily grind ends up swallowing up things. This sounds like a great giveaway. Thank you
I am a recent member of NCN and like the email connection. It is a good thing one is never too old to learn because I am learning. Inch by Inch I will make it. My dad once said too old too soon to smart too late. Well as long as I am alive I can get smart and it is not too late. I can still see the green grass not the dirt. You all have a blessed day.
I have been trying to get “Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover” book from the library and it’s always out. Just mail it to me.
I like your NCN Blog keep it up.
My husband and I have the Total Money Makeover and are on baby step 2. It feels so good to be going in the right direction after many years of treading water or drowning.
I’m not sure how I ended up stumbling across this blog, but I’m glad I did. You’re one of a few blogs I enjoy reading and whose advice makes sense and is in line with my goals – to be debt free. Now that I’m reading this goal series I’m going to think through my goals further. My current goal is to be debt free – including student loans – but the time I’m 30 (5 years away). I’m not sure where to go after that, so this is as good a time as any to think about it!
The problem with goals is getting there without getting sidetracked. It always seems that my long term goals quickly lose priority to my short term goals.
I found your site not too long ago and enjoy reading all about goals, debt reduction, ect. My husband and I need to get our stuff in order and reduce our debt so we can survive if we get laid off in the next year. We both have the potential of being laid off from a major airline. My husband gets upset when I bring it up that we need to get a budget and save money for this time of unemployment. I don’t think he knows where to begin in the process so he would rather do nothing. I am scared!
I am very excited to read the goal setting series. I have no problem setting goals but my follow through is not so good. I would like any of the books listed.
Thanks!!!
I’ve found that having WRITTEN goals always gives me something to guide me when I start to stray.
What’s The Property Financing?
Property investment is a term that most people are familiar with. People usually invest money when they have a surplus or when they are planning for the future. The very careful ones opt for government securities and the adventurous ones go for stock markets. Where does the property investment stand on this line between the secure and the risky?
If anybody is thinking long term then property has no parallel as it has been seen that in a larger time frame land never betrays. Property can be used to get rental income or can be used to secure a loan for any business venture alongside the property. Property investment also requires detailed research before the deal is drawn. Bear in mind that if the property is upon a disputed land then there are risks of recurring loss. On the other hand, if the property is situated at a location where many facilities are accessible then the prices will appreciate significantly over time. Any kind of Property Investment has been and shall always be one of the best kinds of solid investment opportunities.