Our plan to be healthy is so often reactive. We wait until we get a bad diagnosis to start exercising and eating healthier. It’s the same with our finances.

Budgeting doesn’t become a priority until we’ve forced ourselves into a corner with debt. Playing defense is our default mode. So what will motivate us to be proactive instead of reactive? We need to motivate ourselves by building momentum.

If you start out with the goal of exercising every day you will probably fail at some point. But if your goal is to exercise once a week then it will be easily accomplished and you can move up to two times a week. You might think accomplishing a large goal would reap the most reward but if you never achieve it there is no reward.

Set yourself up for success by lining up your health goals from easiest to hardest to accomplish and then start working your way up to the harder goals. This method builds momentum. I give the same advice for paying off debt. Paying off the smaller debts first and then moving your way up to the bigger debts works every time. In this scenario momentum is motivation.

And, don’t forget, as faculty or staff of Butler University, you have FREE access to all of Pete the Planner’s financial resources from GreenCandy.com!

This site is the comprehensive home to all of Pete the Planner’s financial wellness guides, videos, worksheets, calculators, and all other resources needed to make significant financial change.

In order to access the site, you will need to follow the steps below:

Step 1: Visit http://greencandy.com

Step 2: Look for the word “Register” at the top of the page and click it.

Step 3: Enter the following registration code: bulldogs

*Please note, this resource is for Butler faculty and staff only.*