Why Money Goals are Counterproductive

What if I were to tell you that money goals are counterproductive? Would you believe me? I know, I know…we’re conditioned to set money goals to improve our financial situation. Popular self-improvement teaches us that what we focus on expands. Focus your attention on a certain sum of money, and you will achieve that sum of money.

Seems reasonable in theory, but there are fundamental flaws to this approach. These flaws keep us hovering around the goal rather than achieving it. If you struggle in accomplishing your money goals, this article will provide insight as to why and then a better approach to opening the money flow.

Flaw No. 1: Money Goals Lack Emotion

Money goals are logical and rational; they’re head-based goals. The problem with head-based goals is that they lack emotion, so there’s nothing in the tank to drive your goal forward. You need sustained motivation to achieve your goals, especially goals outside of your comfort zone - which most money goals are.

For example, I used to set money goals 10 times my yearly income. Those goals looked damned good on paper. While I had some initial excitement, the motivation fizzled out after about three days. I just didn’t care enough about the number.

What excited me was starting a business or income-generating project that could make a difference for someone. So I focused on those activities, and let go of achieving a certain number. I trusted in Life that if I provided useful value to someone, money would flow in. It did.

Another example of head-based number goals are exercise targets, such as a weight-loss goal or running a certain number of miles. For the longest time, I wanted to consistently weigh 195 pounds and run 3-4 miles a day. Those goals didn’t excite me, however; they actually felt like drudgery, and I never made much progress.

After repeated failures, I decided to drop the numbers and added emotional context to the goal. I focused on achieving a nice set of pecks or a flat and tight stomach (you’re welcome, wifey). A 3 mile run was re-focused into running Long Sands and Short Sands beaches on beautiful sunny mornings. This type of context made it easier to flow into action and achieve those goals.

Flaw No. 2: Money Goals are Personal

Nobody really cares about your money goals. I’m sorry, but that’s the hard truth. Go ahead and tell someone that your goal is to earn a million bucks in the next five years. Then proceed to tell them all the things you will do with the money: “I’m going to buy this and that and do this and that…” They might say, “Good luck…asshole.”

Having a money goal is like a company having a mission statement that says, “Our mission is to maximize profits for our shareholders”. Wow. I’m so inspired. This mission fills my heart and soul. Can I please work for you?

Who wants to support your lifeless money goal mission? You will be isolated on this journey and will have to exert a lot of personal power and discipline to achieve your money goal. Often times, this will lead you down paths that betray your heart and values just to accumulate money. This is why most money goals fail because it feels lifeless to accumulate money purely for personal gain.

How to Open the Moneyflow

Money flows between people. Someone will happily give up their money for something they appreciate. So you could say that appreciation is the driving force of money.

For example, the other day I performed a home inspection for a customer who was in a divorce situation. She needed to understand the condition of her home. The value I delivered was my empathy for her situation, inspection knowledge, years of inspection experience, and a professional report that communicated the condition of her home.

As a result, she felt relieved and confident about her situation. She had the needed information to successfully move forward in the divorce settlement. She appreciated my value and gave me money as a token of gratitude.

Value + Appreciation = Money. Provide value to people who appreciate it and you will be in the money flow.

This means changing the context behind the money goal. You switch your priorities from what money can do for you (personal) to how you can be in service to others (social). Which vibe would you rather support? The one who is in it for himself? Or the one who wants to make a difference?

Let’s say your money goal is to earn one million dollars per year. One context is to think about what you would do with that million dollars. Would you buy a big house on the coast? Would you buy several cars? Would you invest that money? Would you share it with others? Would you travel the world?

Another context is to think about what service and value you could provide to earn a million dollars? How can you make a difference for others? How can you provide value to a massive amount of people?

The first context will get you started and provide initial motivation. The last context is a transformational context that will provide the sustained motivation to get that million dollars. When you adopt the transformational context, naturally the money goal drops away. There’s no motivation in that number goal, as we discussed earlier.

The motivation is in making a difference and being of service. You’re not doing it for the money anymore. You’re doing it for the growth experience and the person you will become. You’re doing it for the transformation. Isn’t that the fun part anyway? You know, the journey and process, not the outcome.

To Set Money Goals or Not?

The whole point of a goal is to set the course and motivate you into action. A money goal may set the course, but does it motivate you into action? Money goals don’t motivate me. Anytime I set a money goal, I jump into lifestyle-gain-thinking. I have a hard time getting motivated to only serve myself. I find it much more rewarding and motivating to set service-based goals that focus on helping others.

Experiment with money goals. When you set a big money goal, where does your focus go? Is your focus on lifestyle gains? Or is your focus on being of service? Or a combination of both? Does the money goal motivate you into action? Or does it bore you or cause apprehension?

Remember, money is social in nature. Money is attached to people. Money flows when you help others.

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