I’ve been thinking about motivation.

Where does it come from?  How can it be maintained?

My primary motivation to get out debt was born out of a desire to have more control over my life.  To be frank, I was tired of living with the constant burden of interest payments.  Deciding to do something about my debt, I began to make major changes in my spending and saving habits.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there were forces, external and internal, that combined to push me towards my decision to get out of debt.  First, a few months before I began to get out of debt, I began to listen to Dave Ramsey.  Day after day, I would listen to his radio program, and week after week, I was encouraged by the stories of those folks who were getting out of debt.  Regardless of whether you agree with Dave’s techniques, you have to admit that he is a dynamic motivator.  Second, I began to think about my situation, and a great anger began to build, deep in my spirit.  I was angry – with myself – for working so hard, for so long, and having so little to show for it.  Third, I looked around, and realized that I was a father, with two kids, and a wife, and I needed to do a better job of preparing our family for the future.  These forces combined to, quite literally, create the motivation that I needed to get out of debt.

But what kept me going?   I had tried to get out of debt before, only to fail.  Why was this time different?

Looking back, the biggest difference was, that in the past, my only goal was to “get out of debt”.  There’s nothing wrong with this goal, except for the fact that it’s too vague.  This time, when getting out of debt, I broke my goal down into specific, manageable micro-goals.  So, instead of saying “I want to get out of debt” my next micro-goal became “I want to send $200 to American Honda Finance, this month”.

By focusing on these smaller, realistic micro-goals, I was able to stop thinking about my total debt balance, and really focus on the next creditor on my debt reduction plan.  Shoot, not only could I focus on the next creditor, I could focus on the very next payment.  In other words, I kept my nose to the grindstone, and tried not to look up until I had completed each of my micro-goals, and ultimately, my final goal.

After getting out of debt, I didn’t stop setting micro-goals.  Instead, I picked an amount that I wanted to save, set a date for saving it, and then broke that amount down into monthly (and eventually weekly) micro-goals.  I created a system that gave me almost instant feedback, making either payments or deposits, not on a monthly or quarterly basis, but on a weekly, or even daily, basis.  I never lost my motivation, because I was constantly creating, then achieving, micro-goal after micro-goal.

If you are struggling to stay in-the-game and remained focused, consider breaking your goals down, into smaller and smaller micro-goals, until you are forced to remain engaged.  I’ve written about the success I had making multiple monthly payments.  This technique not only reduces your average daily balance, but it keeps you focused on your debt reduction game-plan.

After getting out of debt, and saving up an emergency fund, things get a little trickier.  Why?  Well, the main goals – and thus the micro-goals – aren’t so clear.  Do I want to save for retirement?  Yes.  Do I want to save for kids’ college?  You bet.  How about saving for a new house, is that important?  Oh, yeah.

I have had to learn how to focus on more than one goal at a time.  This is a little more difficult for me, because I like the immediate impact of putting all extra available income towards one goal!  (In other words, it’s more fun to see $600 deposited into my saving account than it is to see $200 deposited into my Roth, $100 into my daughter’s ESA, $100 into my son’s ESA, and $200 into my wife’s Roth.)  Slowly funding these accounts, quite frankly, isn’t nearly as fun as rapidly building an emergency fund, but it’s something I’ve learned to do.

I think, when you first begin to focus on your finances, it’s important to be like a laser, and focus on the very next micro-goal on your list.  As you mature, it gets easier to spread your focus, just a bit, and focus on several micro-goals at once.  If, however, you’ve been doing this a while, and you feel like you are losing that focus, take a breather, block out all of the other goals, and go back to one, specific, manageable micro-goal.  I think that you will soon find that familiar motivation that got you started in the first place.

It’s almost May, which means that one-third of the year 2009 is gone!  I don’t know about you, but time seems to have flown by, and it seems like only days ago, I was writing down my 2009 resolutions.  (Remember those?  Yeah, that’s that pesky list of things we promised we would do in 2009.  I wonder what percentage of folks will actually follow through and do something about their resolutions.  40%?  20%? 5%?)

If you are like me, you probably have motivational highs and lows.  One day, you are really in to saving money and getting out of debt, the next you are looking at a new set of golf clubs, trying to justify an unnecessary (but really cool!) purchase.  (Confession time – As I type this article, I have another browser-tab open to golfsmith, where I am looking at a sweet new set of Cleveland irons.  A man can dream.)

So, what can you do you do, if like me, you are prone to get off task and lose your motivation?  Well, since I’m pretty much an expert at the do-over, I’ll share.

1. Stop beating yourself up.
2. Remember your original goals / plans / motivations.
3. Balance your checkbook.
4. Recalculate the time it will take to get out of debt / meet savings goal / etc.
5. Find community.

1.  Stop beating yourself up.

It’s easy to feel like you are the “only one” who has ever failed.  The truth is, lots of people fail when it comes to money management  (Have you read the financial section of the newspaper in the last, oh, two years?  Oh, that’s right, in many places, you can no longer buy a newspaper.  See, lots of people fail when it comes to money management!)  Also, stop feeling sorry for yourself.  If you are reading this article, you probably have more financial resources than 75% of the people on this planet.  Instead, regroup and get ready to move forward.  (Interestingly, I was in a financial funk around this time last year.  Click here to read more about how I regained my focus and moved forward.)

2.  Remember your original goals / plans / motivations.

For me, it all comes back to family.  I’m doing “this” so that my family can be secure and so that my wife and I can (one day) enjoy a happy retirement.  When you get offtrack, it’s always important to re-visualize (is that a word?) your original plans and and goals.  Think about how wonderful it will feel to finally pay off that last credit card.  (High-five to Trishia from Blogging Away Debt.  You rock!)

3.  Balance your checkbook.

I know it sounds a little silly, but when you have been struggling, it feels good to get back to basics.  And nothing is more basic than balancing the checkbook.  As soon as you do that, you’ll then be able to move on, and take a new look at your budget, check your savings account balance, and begin to focus on your retirement investments.  Start simple, get everything “in balance” and then move to the next, more complicated tasks.

4.  Recalculate the time it will take to get out of debt / meet savings goal / etc.

I love to use the financial calculators over at dinkytown.  Spend some time with their 350+ calculators, and you’ll be re-energized.  I know, I know.  It can be depressing to know that your original goal / timetable was too aggressive.  And it can be frustrating, dealing with an emergency or financial setback.  Do not compound your difficulties by wallowing in your frustrations.  Do some calculations, get the problem “out of your head” and “on to paper”.

5.  Find community.

We all need accountability and encouragement.  I find both from folks in my church, and from the world of friends that I have online.  In fact, that’s why I started this site.  (Can you believe I’ve been doing this for FOUR years?  Wowsers.)  You need to find someone, or some group of people, who can and will encourage you.  Also, it never hurts to tell a trusted friend or two that you are “on a budget” or that you are “saving money”.  (Alert – There are some people who will think you are crazy for giving up your credit cards or skipping vacation.  Ignore and avoid these people.)  Also, it’s super awesome if you can get your entire family – every person who lives in your house and is able – to pitch in an do their part.  Remember, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!  Find someone with whom you can share your story, and enjoy their support.  When you get down, give them a call.  (Oh, yeah.  Here’s a list of sites that can connect you with a world of folks who write about personal finance.  You are sure to connect with a few like-minded new friends.)

Tomorrow, we’ll put some “meat on these bones” and see if we can’t flesh-out some more practical steps to take when we are starting over.  In the meantime, take a look back and see if you are meeting your 2009 resolutions.  Leave a comment, and let us know.  Were you overly-optimistic?  Are you doing better than you thought you might do?  Any tips?  Struggles?  We’d love to hear from you.  Rock on.