The most important budget in the world is the budgeting of your life.

Budget your life? Yes! Budget it with goals, goals that define and determine how you will spend that income that is the span of your life!

I am going to give you six "goal makers" that have been tested and proved by thousands of people. You won't need to take notes here, because I am giving this "super six" so that you can always use these pages as a reference. These "goal makers" are going to make "budgeting" a pleasure!

Major goals first

1. Establish positive, progressive goals! Relate your goals to your needs and desires to give them a positive slant. Establish goals that will take you forward from where you are, toward achievements that you can clearly define. This will label them as progressive. They become your major goals.

Alternate goals are important

2. Establish alternate goals along with the major ones. Set up alternate objectives, similar to the major goals, which you may switch to anywhere along the line without losing ground if circumstances require a change. For example, if a major goal is a trip around the world, and your vocational status changes so that you don't have enough time to spare, go to Hawaii or Europe instead. With alternate goals established, you will go somewhere stimulating and exciting. You won't stay home, sore at the world and your job because you couldn't make it around the world!

Maybe you don't want to go around the world. But whatever your major goals are, be sure that they are supported with alternates, so that progressive accomplishment is always assured.

Timetables for progress

3. As soon as each goal is established, put a timetable along side of it. This is where many fall by the wayside in money budgeting. This phase of budgeting is too practical for them and, while they say they will spend so much for this or that, they end up not doing it, because they were not definite about their goals. So, be definite about the timetable of "what, how, 'when." Besides, your subconscious is depending on you to be definite. It wants specifics to work on.

Never turn back

4. Anticipate meeting obstacles, but also anticipate overcoming them. At any time along your way toward a goal, you may meet an obstacle that seems like "the end of the road" or that appears to say: "You're all wrong! Forget the whole idea!"

Don't let either throw you. Get a good strong grip on the progress you have made, and hold that position! Hold it until you can thoroughly evaluate the circumstance and determine how to overcome the obstacle. You can overcome it. Remember the chapter on knowledge and learning? That told you how to meet such a situation. The important thing is to keep the goal strongly in focus and don't turn back.

Variety is necessary

5. Budget yourself with a variety of goals. Remember that your subconscious is your partner here, and this partner thrives on variety. The "more the merrier" is the way your subconscious looks at goals. One goal at a time won't amount to an adequate "budget" anyway. The important factor is have several different kinds of goals on the list at the same time.

Sell your goals to others

6. Let everyone who should know be aware that you have established your goals and that "this is your life" as far as action is concerned. Much of your action in relation to goals is dependent upon your relationship with others.

People like to be associated with stimulating, progressive action. They will help you along the way, if you ask them to. Try it!

Use the six "goal makers" and your skill in budgeting your life will increase day-by-day. Now I am going to add just one more "slant" to this plan. It is most closely related to your "timetable," but it also transcends all of the other five steps.

This will become quite obvious to you once you are in action on your goals. It is that your goals are dynamic things.