Pay Yourself or Give Your Money Away Based on Your Goal Success

In between diaper changes, diaper laundry and cleaning bottles, I try to enrich my mind. Forbes Magazine never really appealed to me before now. Month after month it arrives at my home only to find its way to the library "share" bin. But times have changed. I now find that it gives me some of the brain fuel I need to keep one foot in the game while I get used to motherhood. This latest edition had a few very interesting articles.

Make a Commitment by Ayres and Nalebuff really spoke to me as a coach and as a person who has many goals in this lifetime. The gist of the article is a discussion of StickK.com which helps you achieve your goals by sharing them (and your success of failure) with friends online. When push comes to shove it allows you to put some money up for the goal. Your money for a failed goal can go to a charity, or an anti-charity as the article argues so that you REALLY HATE losing it knowing that it goes to your mortal enemy.

Putting money up for a goal is a great idea if you ask me. I remember the first time I bungee jumped. I was terrified at the last second to "drop" from the 300-ft crane. I let go and quickly grabbed the bar again before plummeting out backwards from the cage I was standing in. The man operating the crane, in the cage with me, told me I wasn't going to get a refund. I dropped. And, then went back the next night to do it all over again!

I also recall, many years ago, when I quit smoking. I saved my "cigarette money" and did something wonderful for myself each time it added up substantially (which doesn't take long). A massage, facial, pedicure... you name it. I turned around the money I was paying for cancer, bad breath, and smelly clothing and opted to do something more fruitful with it.

Money speaks volumes to us. It has a language like no other. We listen to it. We abide by it. So, go ahead, put a dollar amount on your next goal. Someone is going to win. Why shouldn't it be you.