Financial Fitness
Ever notice how Presidents Day sales are suspiciously good? There’s a reason. January is when everyone buys exercise equipment for their New Year’s resolutions… and February is when a lot of it gets returned.
Sound familiar?
In one way or another, we’ve all been there. Big goals. Fresh motivation. Strong start. And then—life. I don’t need to quote statistics about failed resolutions. You already know how that story usually ends.
But here’s the good news: this isn’t about guilt. It’s about momentum.
Financial Fitness Is Hard—But Worth It
Getting in financial shape isn’t a one-week challenge. It’s not a 30-day cleanse. It’s more like training for a marathon.
Maybe for you it means:
Finally sticking to a budget
Saving more consistently
Updating your estate plan
Creating a business succession strategy
Figuring out how to retire—and stay retired
Protecting your family if you die too soon
Making sure you won’t become a burden if you live a long life
Reducing taxes
Protecting your assets
Becoming a better steward of what you’ve been entrusted with
None of those are “quick fixes.” Some take months. Some take a year or more.
And all of them require discipline.
Let this sink in:
“People won't change until the pain of not changing is greater than the pain changing brings.” – Just B. Jordan
That’s the uncomfortable truth. Most people don’t truly address their finances until the pain is already severe. A business fails. A health crisis hits. A spouse passes away. A tax bill arrives that no one planned for.
At that point, people are hoping for a magic wand.
There isn’t one.
The Cost of Waiting
Over the years, I’ve seen the heartache that comes from delay. The “we meant to get around to it.” The “we thought we had more time.” The “we didn’t think it would happen to us.”
There’s always an excuse. And at the end of the day, we both know what it really was:
It simply wasn’t a priority.
But it can be.
So How Do You Make It One?
If financial fitness matters, make it impossible to ignore.
Put a picture somewhere you’ll see every day of the people who would be most affected if something happened to you. Let that be your reminder.
Tell those people what you’re working on. Ask them to hold you accountable. Weekly check-ins change behavior.
Compare what you earned last year to what your investments might realistically generate long-term (and remember, conservative projections often hover around 4%). Is the gap where you want it to be?
Remove distractions. If social media eats your time, step away until you’ve taken action. Let your kids hold you to it.
Create your own bold system. Make it extreme if you have to.
The point is this: bring intentional pressure now so you don’t experience avoidable pain later.
Financial health doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by decision.
Not when it’s convenient.
Not when it’s urgent.
But when you decide it matters.
So here’s the real question:
What step are you going to take this week to get in financial shape?