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3 Things to Remember About Setting Goals

Can you believe it’s July already?

It’s been several months since we made our New Year’s resolutions, so how are things looking?

Are you still going strong? Have you slowed down a little? Did you completely fall off the wagon?

No matter how you’re doing, you still have plenty of time to keep at it or get back on track.

To help keep your goals in sight, remember these three points.

It’s okay to adjust your goals.

Maybe your New Year’s resolutions weren’t realistic, or you didn’t consider another aspect of your life that would affect you. It’s okay to adjust!

Maybe you wanted to pay off $10,000 of debt, but you’ve had a couple of emergencies that drained your emergency fund and slowed down you down. That’s okay. Look at your situation and figure out if you can make $5,000 or $8,000 of that debt go away by the end of the year. Don’t give up on your financial goals!

You still have plenty of time.

Even if you stopped going to the gym in March, start back now! You have another six months until 2015, so don’t let a setback ruin your goals for the entire year.

If you start back now and work on your resolution through December, that’s nine months of progress! And nine months is much better than the three months you would have if you stopped in March and didn’t get back on track.

It’s fine to set new goals.

Adjusting your old goals is fine, but there’s nothing wrong with setting totally new goals too. A lot of people will say, “I’ll wait until next year to start working on my goals,” but that’s just an excuse.

January is just another month. You don’t need to wait until next year to make your life better. Start now—in the middle of July. Then, by next January, you can look back and see how far you’ve come.

The great thing about goal setting is that you can do it anytime, anyplace and anywhere. You don’t have to wait until January, and you can always adjust if you need to.

Keep these points in mind as you look to meet your goals throughout the rest of 2014!

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Rachel Cruze

About the author

Rachel Cruze

Rachel Cruze is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, financial expert, host of The Rachel Cruze Show, and co-host of Smart Money Happy Hour. Rachel writes and speaks on personal finance, budgeting, investing and money trends. As a co-host of The Ramsey Show, America’s second-largest talk radio show, Rachel reaches millions of weekly listeners with her personal finance advice. She’s appeared on Good Morning America and Fox News and been featured in TIME, REAL SIMPLE and Women’s Health, among others. Through her shows, books, syndicated columns and speaking events, Rachel shares fun, practical ways to take control of your money and create a life you love. Learn More.

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