The purpose of financial planning is to enhance your life. Money is not the end goal. Money is the merely tool of measurement and method of payment for many of life's best achievements. Owning your own home, paying for your child's college tuition, taking your spouse on a romantic getaway - these are some of the objectives that you're really after when you set out to plan your financial future.
By focusing on your real life goals instead of always looking at the dollars and cents of your planning, you can make your financial plan a joy. This positive attitude focused on the end results you want to achieve will also help refine your financial planning efforts. Your plan will end up being much more appropriate and effective for you and your family by thinking about what you really want instead of some arbitrary amount of money that you think should meet your needs.
Focus on your life and all the enjoyable things you want to accomplish through your wise financial planning. Don't obsess over how much money you have now and how much you think you'll need by a certain date. This will help you avoid the common pitfall of believing in scarcity and lack. There's more than enough to go around for everyone. Economics is not a zero-sum game; if you end up with a million dollars in your bank account that does not mean some else has to do without. Money is fluid and loves to grow wherever it is well managed; but it is the things you do with your money that ultimately matters, not the money itself.
