Where It All Began and Where It Goes from Here

This week I’ve thought a lot about Project Money and the fact that it’s slowly coming to an end. I’ve thought a lot about what the program means to me, what I’ve learned, and the tools I have moving forward. 

Last February my mom handed me a small article from the paper about this program called Project Money. I had never heard of the program, but I knew I only had positive things to gain by applying. I never thought that 9 months later I would not only be a participant in this program, but that the time moved so quickly and I can’t believe there’s only about a month left.

During the past six months I’ve made a lot of really good choices, with the tremendous help, and maybe more so the support, from my financial coach, Craig. I know my battles, he knows my battles, but he continues to encourage me through times when I struggled and times when I was making smart decisions for myself.

This isn’t just a seven month program that we’ll be walking away from in roughly 6 weeks, but rather just a continuation of something great. We have all attacked this program our own way and we all have different financial goals, but how we do going forward, after the program ends, will be completely up to us. I still have, I guess what you’d call, a lot of soul searching to do, but I know what I want for my future and I will take all these tools that have been given to me and use them to my best advantage. I’m determined to reach my goal of financial freedom and I will. 

Heike, Paul, Brian, Rachel, Nick and I have a lot to be proud of. We aren’t all going to be the “winner” but we can walk away from this knowing our financial future is bright and that we can make it with discipline, momentum, and support. Ultimately, we all win and I hope those that have been following our huge successes and even some struggles, have been able to take away some of the tricks and tools we’ve learned that they can translate into their own life. There is something that everyone can take away, regardless of whether or not you were a participant. The future is now, what steps will you be taking?

Comments

[Leonard]

I love your thoughts - they are so true. Just like the Biggest Loser, where it's nice to see the weight loss, but the real winners are the one's who keep it off when the series ends.

I think your post also reflects that a journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step. You applied for Project Money. You didn't have to. But you did. 1 decision, on one day, 7 months ago. A single step and your whole 2010 turned out for the better - that's just so awesome & inspiring!