I love a good inspirational quote. And a lot of other people do too!
My original post 9 Inspiring Budgeting Quotes (and How You Can Use Them to Take Action NOW) is one of my most popular posts on Atypical Finance.
There are so many great quotes out there from all over time and across the globe. Many of them can even be applied to money.
Inspiring action is one thing. But when you’re motivated to take action, you have to take that action NOW or you may never take it.
And if you don’t take action, you will stay stuck where you are.
Action is still the key to moving forward. You can be motivated all you want to make changes, but if you don’t take any action, you’ll stay where you are now.
So here are nine MORE personal finance quotes and exactly what to do to take action on them NOW.
1. “Success is a feeling. It’s not a series of checkmarks and goals.”
– Simon Sinek
I recently posted on my Instagram that “your success is how YOU define it.” No one else should be allowed to tell you what success looks like for you.
Why? Because it’s a feeling. It’s relative to who you are and what you’re striving for.
If you set a goal just because someone else says you should set that goal, you are not going to be fulfilled when you reach that goal.
You won’t consider yourself successful.
At the same time, if you only consider yourself successful when you reach a certain goal, what happens after you attain it?
Do you set another goal? Are you no longer successful because you now have another goal to reach?
If you define success as a feeling, you can feel successful right now. You can feel successful simply by going after a goal.
Simon Sinek says that success is based on contribution. If you’re doing something that is providing value, that is the best way to feel successful.
The sky really is the limit for your success.
How to Take Action NOW
There are two things that you can do to take action on this quote.
- Let go of the traditional version of success. The American dream states you have to own a house, have a family, and have a great job. Maybe that was true once? If it was, it certainly isn’t now. There is also a culture of “If you don’t have this, you aren’t successful” in entrepreneurship and traditional careers. It fosters the idea that if you’re not rich, you aren’t “something.” Let go of all of this.
- Take the time to figure out your version of success. Only you can define it. It might be something as simple as feeling healthier all around or having more energy. It might be being at a point financially where you can go out for an expensive meal once a month. You could define your success as being able to rest every night from 9 PM to 10 PM. The point is to make your success just that—yours.
For me personally, I am successful because I have a wife and two girls whom I get to give my all and who love me.
I am successful because I am helping others create a better financial future for themselves by coaching them to realize what is the best way they personally can manage their money.
I don’t have to be the richest or have the biggest business. For me, my success is directly measured by helping others.
Guess what. I’m already there. I’m already successful.
How are you going to define your success?
2. “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”
– Benjamin Franklin
When things are disorganized—whether it’s in our careers, our lives, or just simply searching for something—we lose time.
We lose time by needing to search for things that are not in their proper place, by taking longer to switch tasks, and because the disorganization can affect our overall energy.
Yes, there are some people who seem to thrive in an unorganized environment. But I’m convinced that they are just so used to it they don’t notice the effects anymore.
It’s almost like not noticing the sleepiness side effect a medication is causing because you’ve taken it every day for so long.
So by spending a small amount of time organizing you can save yourself a ton of time in the future.
How to Take Action NOW
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your budget?
When you don’t look at it often, things get backed up. You have more to do and you feel overwhelmed by how much is there and how long it’ll take you to catch up.
Set yourself a specific, regular time to go over your budget to stay organized and keep yourself from being overwhelmed.
How often you should look at your budget is different for everyone, so find a cadence that works for you.
I like to make sure I’m entering receipts in my budgeting app (YNAB!) within a day or two so I don’t get backed up.
In fact, YNAB implemented the downloading of pending transactions a few months ago so I usually don’t even have to enter a receipt unless I need to split it between categories.
I also organize my finances in a way that almost everything is automated.
Taking the time to organize and automate up front saves me an hour or two every month because I no longer have to manually pay my bills.
I call automation one of the three pillars of budgeting because it has helped me save so much time.
What can you do to organize something in your own budget?
Spend the extra minute organizing your finances and watch how much easier it is to manage your money.
3. “Income seldom exceeds personal development.”
– Jim Rohn
This quote speaks volumes. If you want to raise your income level, develop yourself.
If you want to get better at budgeting, develop yourself by developing that specific skill. You can pick up a book like mine, The Root Budgeting System.
Developing your public speaking skills will help you gain confidence in meetings and speak more clearly.
When you develop yourself, income just seems to follow you naturally. You gain the wisdom to do what you need to do for yourself and for your career.
Is this seeing life with rose-colored glasses? Maybe—but I guarantee you’re not going to regret any personal development in your own life.
But be careful you are not doing it for other people.
Any changes you make in your life should be for YOU and not other people.
Tell yourself “I want to make this change because I’ll be healthier” or “I want to make this change so I can do more of the things I love.”
You’re already perfect the way you are so don’t let others decide what you should change.
This includes any changes you make to develop yourself with the goal of increasing your income.
How to Take Action NOW
If you want to grow your income, start growing yourself!
Learn how to interview, read books on career development, or learn a new skill.
If you don’t like to read, buy a video course or search YouTube for whatever skill you’re trying to develop.
You can even develop yourself in areas that are not directly related to your career. When you learn any new skill, you gain confidence all around.
You also gain the ability to problem solve and think clearly when faced with obstacles.
This extends to the rest of your life as well, including your budget and job.
A few years ago, I would look up YouTube videos that specifically cultivated an entrepreneurial and abundance mindset.
It helped me foster those thoughts and grow into who I am today, but I’m not done yet. I keep taking action on this.
Develop yourself and it gives your income an opportunity to grow more than it ever would without your development.
4. “Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting.”
– Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley was an American novelist, poet, and journalist. I must say he hits the nail on the head.
Think of someone who seems to be doing pretty well. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Michael Jordan—even the CEO of the company where you work.
All these names come to mind for me.
Every single one of these people has a secret to being able to attain their version of success.
Perseverance.
Steve Jobs was let go of Apple for a number of years before being reinstated (this time as CEO) and making it what it is today.
Bill Gates founded a company called Traf-O-Data that failed completely before founding Microsoft.
Elon Musk spent years making Tesla profitable before it actually made money.
Michael Jordan
All of these “big shots” never gave up, and that’s why they were able to reach their own definition of success.
How to Take Action NOW
In life, and especially in money, things won’t always go your way.
It’s important to cultivate the correct mindset.
Don’t give up if you fail. Statistically, it takes people about three months to get the hang of budgeting.
Some people get it faster while others get it slower.
It helps to learn the way you like to learn. You can hire a coach like me, read a book or blog posts, or learn through a video course.
All who succeed at money have one thing in common. They don’t give up no matter how many times they fail.
In fact, failure has the ability to actually make you more successful.
Michael Jordan said:
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Get up after falling. Keep going after failing.
The secret to success isn’t some magic formula. It’s perseverance.
If you want to be a “big shot” in your own mind, persevere.
5. “As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oh wow, do I love this quote!
In my book, The Root Budgeting System (Get it on Amazon), one of the ways I teach how to make your budget your own is by picking your own budgeting principles so you can create your own method.
The realization I had many years ago is that following someone else’s budgeting method is the quickest way to burning out in your personal finances.
By following someone else’s method, I switch from letting my money control me to letting the budgeting method control me.
Budgeting using someone else’s methods won’t feel natural and sets limits on you.
But if you grasp the principles of budgeting, you can create your own budgeting method that feels natural to use and will accelerate you toward your financial goals while setting you free.
It’s part of reaching true financial freedom.
How to Take Action NOW
For starters, read my book! 😉 You can pick it up on Amazon using the link above.
It’ll teach you how to select your own principles as well as showing you exactly how to create the best budget for you.
You can also learn about different budgeting principles and implement the ones you think will be good for your situation, who you are, and where you want to be
In its simplest form, here’s how you do it:
- Learn about different budgeting methods and what principles they involve
- Write down a list of the principles you like and you think would be good for you
- Learn how to implement only those principles—you don’t have to implement the entire method
- Take action and do the work to implement the principles
You can also download my free budgeting principles checklist by filling out the form at the top of this blog post.
The key point is to grasp the principles you learn and only implement the ones that will fit you.
6. “It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
– Roy E. Disney
Roy E. Disney was the nephew of Walt Disney and son of Walt’s brother, Roy O. Disney.
Roy E. Disney was so in tune with his values that he resigned from his posts at the Walt Disney Company—twice.
Much of the tug of war we face in managing our money comes from spending the wrong way because there aren’t a lot of people that actually teach how to spend your money.
We spend a lot of time either wondering if we should purchase something or regretting the things we’ve purchased
Spending on your values means you won’t miss the things you cut out of your budget that you don’t value.
Spending on your values means giving yourself permission to spend on what you truly value and no longer feeling guilty about it.
When you spend on your values, it’s easy to make the decision to say no when you come across something you don’t value
And it’s easy to say yes when you come across something you do value.
How to Take Action NOW
Figure out your values! Ask yourself these four questions about your expenses that you’ve been spending money on:
- How much time will I spend on this?
- How much fun do I have doing this?
- Is this something I enjoy sharing with others?
- Does it continue to create value?
Now, your values do not need to check off all four of those boxes, but the questions themselves will help you determine if what you’re spending money on is worth it to you.
Then, cut out the things you don’t value (i.e. stop spending money on them) and shift that money to the things that you do value.
As a bonus, you’ll feel like you have more money simply by cutting out the things you don’t value.
7. “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.”
– Steven Covey
This quote speaks to your career as well as your overall money as well. We can climb the corporate ladder all we want.
But what if it is taking you to a place you don’t want to go?
What if the money goals and budgeting methods you’re following are taking you down a path that doesn’t look right to you?
Maybe you’re the ladder is leaned against the right wall but the type of ladder you’re climbing isn’t the best one for you.
The lesson is to make sure you are using the right ladder to get to the place you want to go.
How to Take Action NOW
To take action on this one, you have to take the time to examine where you want to go.
Not only that, but you have to exam the path (or ladder) that you’re using to get there.
My advice is to figure out where you want to go first and then work backward.
This is a staple of retirement planning. You figure out how much you think you will need in retirement based on your expenses (budget first!), and then you figure out how much you need to save in order to get there.
To me, it’s always easier to look at your goal and reverse engineer it from there.
Even when placing a ladder on a building, you look toward the top of the ladder (where you want to go) before placing it against the building.
Determine where you want to go, and then decide what type of ladder you’re going to use to get there.
8. “Never give up on a dream just because the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
– Mel Robbins
This sooo used to be me, especially for weight loss. If I didn’t get results quickly, I would say “aw screw it.”
Not the best attitude to have.
I’ve since changed my mindset and have taken on the mantra of “things that are worth doing take effort and time.”
Lasting results take time, not only in weight loss but in almost all areas of life—including personal finance.
It takes time to build a business. It takes time to build a great marriage. And it takes time to build wealth and become good at budgeting.
It’s all worth it.
Remember the lesson in quote number four? Perseverance is the name of the game.
Don’t give up on your dreams just because it’s going to take a while.
Down the road, you can either be in a position of moving closer to your dreams or wishing you had moved closer to your dreams.
I know which one I’m choosing.
How to Take Action NOW
When you’re going after a large dream or goal, you are going to want to do some things to help you never give up.
- Set up milestones and rewards to motivate yourself
- Change—and then continue to cultivate—an abundance mindset.
- Automate everything that you can
Automation is going to be your friend, especially if it’s a money goal.
Invest in a low-cost index fund and then automate your deposits into that fund.
Decide how much you need to save for that vacation and automate your deposits into a savings account where you won’t touch the money.
Set your goal, and then find ways to reduce friction to get there.
Then, you can let the time pass AND get closer to your goals as it does.
9. “The Way to Get Started Is To Quit Talking And Begin Doing.”
– Walt Disney
Just like last time, I had to end it with a Disney quote—this time from Walt Disney himself.
Action is the single most effective way for you to get where you want to go financially or otherwise.
This whole article (and the first round) are designed to show you how to take action when you get motivated by a quote.
So get started by no longer just talking about it but by actually doing it.
How to Take Action NOW
A lot of times we know what we need to do, we just haven’t done it yet. That’s exactly what Walt is saying here.
We like to say things like “Oh, I really need to start saving for retirement” or “Ya know, I really should create a budget so I can keep track of where I am financially.”
But that’s as far as it goes.
The next time you say to yourself or someone else “I just need to do this particular action,” do it right then and there.
Don’t. Wait.
Hire the financial coach if that’s what you need to do. Buy that budgeting course or book. Cut that expense that isn’t valuable to you but you still keep spending money on.
Set up that debt payoff plan to pay off your unnecessary debt or that automatic payment into your investment or savings account.
Like I said before, take action while you’re motivated or while you’re thinking about what you need to do.
The only way you’re going to get out of your current situation or get to where you want to go is by making a move.
So make the move. As Walt Disney said, “begin doing.”
Final Thoughts
I’ll finish this article off with the same thought I had in the last one.
Motivation is nothing without action. You have to do both.
And you can do both.
You now have 18 quotes in two different articles that you can use to take action.
Build the life that you want starting NOW.
And use your budget to get there.
