Help & support
As kids, we start our lives as dreamers and - as any parent knows – we tend to have a pretty strong idea of what we want. As we age, it can be easy to lose sight of what we want - we might conform to the expectations of others and encounter no shortage of curveballs for the dreams we have for our lives.
If you want to master your finances, it is well worth spending some time reconnecting to the dreams you have for your life. Take a step back and ask yourself the deeper questions. What does your dream life look like? Where do you live? What are you doing? Who are you doing it with? What really motivates you?
When it comes to money, people tend to think about what they ‘should’ do. A simple trick to feel more empowered is to flip this question and ask instead: What ‘could’ you do?
Ultimately, the key to knowing how much you need to earn and save over your lifetime comes down to what sort of life you envisage for yourself. So, your challenge now is to ask yourself: what would a ‘Brighter Future’ look like for you?
Then, we will set about planning for and achieving it.
How to complete the challenge
The challenge is simple enough: print the worksheet provided below or simply find a blank page of paper and brainstorm all the elements you want for your future life.
If you are a visual person, draw. If you gravitate to words, write. Or, do both.
If you prefer a digital option, open a fresh page in a notes app on your phone and title it ‘My Brighter Future’.
Keep your new ‘vision board’ somewhere visible and add to it as a new thought occurs.
Don’t worry if you can’t think of much for now; any time you commit to thinking about future you is a step in the right direction.
It’s also completely normal for your vision of your dream life to evolve and grow as you age. Revisit this exercise as many times as you like. It can be instructive to see how your thoughts evolve.
Helpful prompts to get you started
To help you visualise your dream future, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- How do you most enjoy spending your time?
- What would your perfect day look like? What time would you get up? What would you do?
- If $100 million appeared in your bank account and you knew it was yours to keep, what would you do today?
- Who do you love the most? What do you enjoy doing with them?
- If you could meet a version of yourself at age 70, what would you say? What life do you wish for your Future Self?
As you begin building a picture of your brighter future, don’t forget that the magic is often in the mundane aspects of our lives. It’s important to think big, but don’t forget to also consider those smaller moments of joy life presents.
Next steps
- Now that you have completed your ‘My Brighter Future’ vision, you can think about what financial goals you could pursue to help get you there. In Lesson 4.2 we’ll learn that a good money goal is simply a dream with a price tag and deadline attached. Now that you have your dream, you can take small actions to make it happen!
- Stick your vision page somewhere visible, such as on the fridge, where you will remember it and can keep adding to it over time.
- If you enjoyed this exercise, why not challenge a friend or family member to do the same and compare your pages when complete?
- If you are brave, share your My Brighter Future vision board on your social media accounts with the hashtag #mybrighterfuture and tag @commbank. Sharing our financial visions can help us to stay motivated as we set about achieving our financial goals.
- Finally, congratulate yourself! It is not always easy to think about the future, but you will always be glad you did.
Congratulations, you’ve completed this lesson!
Next lesson: 2.2 - 6 steps to harness your ‘Financial EQ’