What does it take?

So we've started the journey - and it is an important one. Many people want to give their entire lives to the Lord, including their finances, but they honestly don't know how. We are going to walk through the steps together and I believe these 13 weeks are going to allow many to reach a new place in their faith.

But it is not easy. Did you catch that one during the first Super Savers session? Or maybe it hit you as you considered things you learned this week, or in reading your book, or as you completed your Quickie Budget. It may take some big changes. And change is tough. And discipline takes a lot of determination.

I have walked down this path with hundreds of people through Financial Peace University and personal financial counseling. There is one common denominator in those who win and those who don't quite make it.

So what does it take? I call it focused intensity. It looks a little different for each person, but it sometimes resembles a sort of anger, or drive, or desperation, or attack mode. It refuses to give up or make excuses. It holds nothing sacred - but evaluates everything and it makes some serious sacrifices. It often takes overcoming some fear. And it may require a tough talk with that pouty and sometimes childish person you see in the mirror everyday (don't take it personally - I see him, too).

Are there obstacles? Yes. Are there valid reasons some of the recommendations won't work in your situation? Sometimes. Have you tried some of the ideas and been rejected? Likely. But focused intensity doesn't give up. It doesn't take "NO" for an answer. It doesn't let the excuses pile up and keep you down. It keeps trying. It gets back up. It keeps looking for new ideas. It never quits. It never gives up. And over time, I have never seen it fail.

How serious are you about changing your life? What will it take for you to save money? Or to move to the next Baby Step? What does focused intensity look like in your life?

13 Weeks to Change a Life

For the next 13 weeks we are taking a journey...to change our finances...to change our marriages...to change our perspectives...to change our future...to change our lives.

Financial Peace University is a course about finances, of course. But it can affect every area of your life if you let it. Use it to its fullest. Join in, jump in...it will change your life.

Thirteen weeks is a long time. Thirteen weeks is not a long time. Thirteen weeks is enough time...

...to form a habit...to change your life.

Don't just take the course. Don't just show up. Read the book. Do the homework. Think about the concepts. Apply them to your life.

Practice. Try. Stumble. Get up. Practice. Try. Learn. Press on. Practice. Try. Do it. Do it for 13 weeks.

It's hard. It's not easy. But decide today to engage this process of learning and changing. Decide today which habits are holding you back or need to change. Maybe it's your spending. Maybe it's your communication with your spouse. Maybe it's your patience (think debt). Maybe it's your accountability. Maybe it's your giving. Maybe it's your attention (as in, paying more of it).

Change your habits and change your life. Thirteen weeks is enough time for that.

I don't know what you are facing but I hope in the next 13 weeks you do just that - FACE IT - and begin to take the steps necessary to change...your finances...your marriage...your perspectives...your future...your life.