By: Cassandra Mack

How much money do you need to make in order to live your desired lifestyle? In order to save a little, invest a little, spend a little, pay all of your bills, provide for your children and pursue the things that bring you joy? What’s the exact dollar amount? It’s not enough to say that you want more money. We can all use more money. You need to know exactly how much it is going to take for you to live your life free from constant money pressures.

Not having a specific financial goal and expecting to live richly is like getting on the highway without an exact destination in mind, leaving it to fate to take you where you want to go. Sure you’ll be moving, but you’ll be moving without a clear sense of direction. No one in their right mind would do this, yet we do it all the time when it comes to our money. We say we want to get ahead financially, but we do not set specific financial goals to take us there.

You are responsible for your financial future, no one else. How much money you make and continue to create is entirely up to you. Even if you are not where you want to be right now, that is still no excuse to not set financial goals. In fact, the best time to set financial goals is when monetary resources are critically tight. Why? Because your severe lack of funds will motivate you to become financially fit and focus on doing what you need to do to increase your income.

*Prosperity Tips*

· Set a financial goal. Decide exactly how much you want to earn, save and invest each year. Then, break it down monthly. Let’s break it down even further. How much money do you want to have at your disposal each week? Each day? How much do you want to have when you retire? Don’t pull this number out of thin air. Really think about what you want out of life and how much money it will take to accommodate your desired lifestyle for the rest of your life.

· In addition to setting financial goals, set life goals that require large sums of money to achieve. Perhaps you want to buy a home. Take a vacation or two each year. Buy a car. Start a business. The important thing here is to estimate how much money you will need to achieve these goals so that you can start planning accordingly. Don’t forget to write your goals down and set a deadline. The subconscious mind responds to dates and deadlines.

Cassandra Mack, aka as the First Lady of Urban Self-Help is the CEO of Strategies for Empowered Living, A corporate training and personal development company based in New York City. She is the author of several successful books and the executive producer and host of *The No More Drama Empowerment Hour, *a talk radio show aired live on Carib World Radio. To contact Cassandra visit her on the web at: www.strategiesforempoweredliving.com.