How Can You Save for Big Goals Without Burning Out?

Speaker A00:00:00

Big goals sound exciting until they start taking time. And you know exactly what I mean.If you're listening right now, that down payment, that reliable car, that home repair fund so you can finally fix your house, that business you've always wanted to do, or that vacation you actually enjoy without debt hanging over you. And at first you're super motivated. You're like, okay, this is it. I'm doing this. And then for so many of us, real life happens.And suddenly savings feel so kind of like a tortoise and expensive and never ending. And you start thinking to yourself, am I going to get tired before I even get there?And friend, if you've ever felt that today's show is specifically for you because you're not failing. You're just stuck in the middle. And the middle is where most people quit, but you don't have to. And I'm going to walk you through this today.So here's the question you and I are answering today. How can you save for big goals without burning out? I'm going to help you build a plan that's steady, that's realistic and gentle enough to last.Because, friend, you can reach big goals without crushing yourself to get there. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.Welcome to Financially Confident Christian, where we learn how to walk through life and money with wisdom, with peace, and with a heart anchored in God's truth.My mission is simple on the show, to help you break that cycle of financial shame and build those steady habits rooted in faith and truly become a financially confident Christian. And I'm so glad you're here today because this is where a lot of people get stuck. It's not at the beginning, but it's right there in the middle.And if you're in the middle right now, I want you to hear this. You're not behind. You're not broken. You're just in the part that takes endurance. You're in the hard part.Yesterday we talked about automating your savings, and you can take that willpower out of it and let a system do the heavy lifting. Today we're talking about something different, and that's how do you stay steady when the goal is big and the timeline is long?Because big goals don't just test your budget. They test your patience. And friend, patience is hard, but you can learn it. Here's today's listener question.Ralph I have a big goal in mind, and I really want to do it.Every time I start saving, I do it great for just a little while and then I get tired or something happens Life happens, and I feel like I'm always starting over. How do I save for something big without quitting halfway? What a great question.And friend, if you've ever felt that, that's real, and if that's you right now, I'm not here to shame you. I'm here to remind you, you can do this. You just need a pace that loves you back. If you've ever felt that wave of, I can't get to this thing.I'm stuck in this middle. Ralph, you're not weak. You're just human. Because savings for big goals ask you to live with. Not yet.That's what we're really talking about here today. Not yet. Not yet in that kitchen remodel. You're tired of this kitchen. It's a disaster. Not yet in the new car. I'm tired of this used car.It's not dependable. I can't stand this thing.Not yet in that trip, and not yet in that business upgrade, and not yet for so many of us, feels discouraging when you're doing all the right things and it still feels so far away. So today, I want to help you pace yourself so you don't burn bright and then just burn out.Because, friend, you don't have to sprint to make progress. Here's the truth. Burnout usually doesn't come from a big goal. Burnout comes from trying to reach it with an all or nothing plan.How many of us have those? It's the we're going to do this perfectly mindset. It's the no fun until we're done mindset. And that if we mess up once, we failed mindset, friend.Big goals are not built by intensity. I want you to hear this and I want you to hear this loud and clear. They're built by consistency.Consistency needs a pace that you can actually live with, not a pace that punishes you, a pace that actually supports you. I'm Ralph Estep Jr. I'm an accountant, and I've seen people hit big goals from all kinds of income levels.And the difference usually isn't talent, it's pace. See, people who win long term choose a plan they can repeat without resenting it. Because that's what we're really talking about today.Are you resenting your goals? And I want that kind of plan for you, and I want you to start that today. Because I've watched this happen so many times.Someone starts saving for something big and they go hard, man, they're all in. It's kind of like the beginning of the Year, everybody jumps on the I'm going to lose weight this year. And they do it hard for the first day.And the second day, hey, we get to the fifth or sixth day, and they're like, I can't do this anymore. So maybe that's you. You decided I'm going to save, so I'm not eating out anymore. That lasts for a week or two. Or I'm not going to do any extras.There's not going to be any breathing room in my budget. And for a few weeks, that's super powerful. But then a tough week hits, that problem at home or that problem at work or that bill that surprises you.Or maybe, like so many of us, you just get tired. And that intense plan just starts to feel like punishments, like that restriction on a diet. And when savings feels like punishment, guess what?You quit. You're not going to do it. Not because you don't want the goal, but because you can't live under that pressure. That pressure is stifling.So, friend, hear me. The goal isn't to save the fastest. The goal is to save the longest. And you can do longest. You just need a plan that's kind to you.So here's the deeper question underneath today. What if the way you reach a big goal isn't pushing harder, but pacing wiser? What if you don't need more intensity?What if you need more sustainability? And it starts when you name the goal and name your why? Because this is. Before we talk numbers, let's talk meaning. What is the goal?What is the goal we're looking for? But bigger than that, why does it matter to you? Because when the goal has purpose, it has staying power. Here's what I've learned.A goal without a why turns into a chore. And nobody likes chores. When my kids were young, I said to them, hey, can you do this? And they say, dad, that sounds like chores. Nobody wants chores.But a goal with a why, that's something different. That's a mission. And, friend, your why matters in this. My tip is this. Break your goal into three milestones.One of the things that I've learned is easy to break things down, because big goals feel heavy because they're too big to hold in your mind. I remember when I was a kid, my dad took me out in the backyard one day. He wanted me to move this big pile of firewood. And this thing was massive.Now, I was a kid at the time, I saw this huge pile of firewood. He said, son, we need to do something over here. So I need you to take this pile of firewood, and I need you to move it over to this side of the yard.And I looked at this thing and I was like, this is massive. This is going to take me all day. So I thought to myself, you know what, Ralph? You just need to move a couple of sticks at a time.Just grabbed a couple of those and I walked them across. And then I went back and I grabbed a couple more and I walked those across. And before long, guess what? The whole thing was moved.So don't hold the whole thing. Break it down. Listen, if your goal is to save $3,000, set three milestones for yourself.Set a milestone for when you hit the first thousand, and then when you hit that second thousand, hey, now you've got to 2,000, and then a milestone when you hit that 3,000. Because you're not just chasing one giant mountain, you're climbing three smaller hills. And hills are doable, aren't they?And you, my friend, you can do doable also. You've got to make your milestones visible. If you can't see progress, your heart's going to assume you're stuck. That's what happens in the middle.So many times people feel like they can't see the progress and they feel stuck. So track it. It could be something like a simple note in your phone, a sticky note on the fridge.One of the things I love is people make these charts and they fill it in with red as they go up and you see that goal, that's a progress. Maybe you do it in a journal. That visible progress creates emotional momentum.That's what we're really talking about here is emotional momentum and big goals that take a lot of time. They need emotional momentum. They don't need hype, they don't need pressure. They just need proof that you're moving.And remember, you've got to celebrate those checkpoints without breaking your plan. That's a lot of problem, people. Let's talk about celebration here. Celebration doesn't have to mean spending everything.I worked with somebody one time, they said, man, I wanted to save money, so I celebrated by going out to dinner. What they end up doing, they blew everything they saved. But celebration means honoring the progress that you've made.Maybe for you, you make it a special coffee, maybe a special treat. Hey, maybe a date night with a set budget so you don't go and undo what you've worked so hard to do.Because if you never celebrate, the journey is going to feel endless. But when you mark the progress, your brain learns Something your brain starts to say, hey, guess what? This is working.And friend, it is working every time you show up. But you've got to choose a pace you can repeat on your most tired week. This is the biggest one today.I really believe this is the most important part. Don't set your savings amount based on your most motivated day. And that's the problem. A lot of us do that. We think, oh, this I can do this.I am super motivated today. But that's not real. That's not reality. Set it based on a realistic day, a tired day, a normal day, a stressful day, a busy day.See, because if the plan only works when life is calm, it's not going to survive your life. Because guess what, friends? Life isn't common all the time. Choose a pace that still works when things get messy.And remember, you're not planning for perfect, you're planning for real. You've got to build that life happens flexibility into your plan. The truth is, some months you'll save more. Some months you're going to save less.That's not a failure, that's just life. If you've got a plan with zero flexibility, you're going to make yourself feel guilty all the time. And guilty is your excuse for quitting.So decide ahead of time. If I've had a hard month, we don't stop. We adjust. We start again tomorrow. And friend, listen to me. Adjusting is not quitting.Adjusting is using wisdom. See, what I've learned is slow and steady beats. All or nothing, friend. All or nothing sounds spiritual. It sounds like the right thing to do. This.I'm going all in, Ralph. All it does is produces shame. Because if you're all in and you slip just one time, you feel like you've ruined everything.But that slow and steady says, you know what I'm learning this. I'm growing. Yes, I'm making mistakes. I'm stubbing my toe, I'm falling flat on my face. But guess what? I'm getting back up and I'm not quitting today.A little saved consistently will beat a lot saved occasionally, every single time. And yes, you can be consistent. Not perfect, but consistent. Which leads us to today's Bible verse comes to us from Galatians, chapter 6, verse 9.It says, Let us not become weary in doing good at the proper time. We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And friend, that verse isn't just about money, but it absolutely applies to it today.Because savings is a form of doing good. It's choosing wisdom. It's choosing patience and, and it's choosing peace in advance. And that harvest, it takes time.So if you're feeling tired right now, let me tell you right now, you're not failing. You're just in the growing season and God is with you right there in that season. So here's your action step for today.I want you to take one big savings goal and break it into three milestones and write them down today. Not in your head. Put it on paper or in your notes app. Like I said earlier, that goal, maybe you want to save $3,000, will set up three milestones.A thousand, two thousand, and three thousand. And friend, when you hit that milestone one, don't just rust past it. Stop, breathe and thank God for the progress. And tell yourself, guess what?I'm doing this because you are doing it. Lord, thank you for teaching us patience. Help us to not grow weary, Lord.Give us strength to keep going and joy at each and every step on the journey. And for the listener right now who feels tired, remind them that steady steps still count.Remind them that you are not disappointed and you are present where we are right now and that you will finish what you started in them. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen, friend.If you want encouragement, just like we talked about today, while you chase those big goals, I want to invite you to join us. Go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join again. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join.That's where we help each other stay steady, stay hopeful, and keep going without shame. And friend, you're not alone in this. So let me remind you, big goals are possible without burnout.But you have to pace it, break it down, celebrate those progress, adjust when life shifts. All in all, keep moving forward. Tomorrow we're going to talk about something a little deeper.We're going to talk about how can you trust God with what you saved and what you can't. So today, if this show has encouraged you, if you know someone who's chasing a big goal right now, I encourage you share the show with them.This show is not about financial shame. It's about walking in wisdom, staying financially savvy, and truly becoming a financially confident Christian.So God bless you and I hope to see you again on tomorrow's show.