Why Do I Feel Like My Financial Progress Doesn’t Stick?

Let's face it, you've worked hard. You set that budget, maybe started saving money, maybe even knocked some debt out. Progress is happening.But then, like most of us, it just slips away. A missed day turns into a missed week. A small overspend becomes a setback.And suddenly, for so many of us, we find ourselves right back at square one. And if you've ever thought this, why can't I seem to make progress stick? Ralph, when I tell you right now, you're not alone.In fact, research shows this. And I was astonished when I read this. 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February.I mentioned this to my wife and she said, ralph, most of them probably fail by January 2nd. And unfortunately, these financial goals are among the first to crumble. And that's a sad statistic.But here's the good news, and this is truly groundbreaking good news. Lasting financial peace isn't built on perfection. I'm going to get into that a little bit more in the episode.But lasting financial peace isn't built on perfection. What it is built is on consistency, grace, and simple rhythms that carry you forward. So stick with me today.I'm going to uncover how to break that cycle of false starts and build habits that actually last. This is going to be a great episode today.This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence. Hey there. Welcome back to Financially Confident Christian.I'm Ralph and I'm so happy that you've chosen to join me today for just a little bit of your time.As we walk to become more financially confident Christians, my goal every day is to help you break that financial shame, those feelings like you're not good enough. Why do you feel like you're always stumbling and help you step back into confidence. And.And we're just about at the end of our series Breaking Financial Change. And in my mind I can just picture those changes bursting apart. And yesterday we talked about how to prepare for those big decisions.It's a great show. I'm gonna encourage you to go check it out.You can find all of our shows@financiallyconfidentchristian.com but today we're going to be like a stick in the mud. We're going to talk about why financial progress doesn't always stick. And listen, if you're listening right now, you're probably. Ralph, I.That is the truth, man. I am right there with you and for so many of us. And I'm one of those people as I'm talking right now.You start strong, you've got this gumption, you've got this energy. Maybe you've dived in and did that budget you. Ralph, I got a great budget. Income minus expenses. It looks fantastic.Or maybe for so many of us, you started saving. You started putting that money away every week, every paycheck. It was the first thing you did. Or maybe for you, it was paying off that debt.You had that mountain of debt in front of you and you're like, ralph, I finally paid it off. But unfortunately, and this is just a pure tragedy of what I've seen with people in their financial lives, momentum does fade.And maybe you've missed a day. Hey, maybe you've missed a week. Hey, Ralph, let's be honest. Maybe I missed a month or a year.And when you start to live in that, you start to feel this discouragement and that leads to self doubt. Hey, we're all guilty of this. When this momentum starts to fade, we start to ask ourselves, am I really going to be able to do this?And for so many of us, you feel like your efforts been wasted, like you're always starting over. And I found this statistic, it was from Fidelity Investment Survey said this. Nearly 60%. Hear me on this.Nearly 60% of Americans set financial goals each year. That's fantastic. But let's get to the other side of this. But only 20%. Yes, you heard me right.20% say they stick with them for more than a few months. I think it's great that 60% start. But the sad part is 20% have faded after just a few months.Picture in your own mind, you've put that budget together. You've got that beautiful budget binder, but you haven't opened it in two or three weeks. No idea what your spending looks like.Maybe you work so hard to get that credit card paid off. Now as you get those statements or you log on online, you're starting to notice that credit card balance is just creeping up every time you use it.And you start to feel like a failure, don't you? And listen, I've been right where you are. Those financial setbacks are hard. It's hard to gain that momentum.But here's the thing I need you to hear right now. There's a huge faith connection to what I'm talking about today. True growth, not these spurts and starts, but true growth is a lifelong journey.And it's based on a strong foundation of consistency, not perfection. So many of us are our own worst enemies because we think we're going to be perfect in each and everything we do.But let me just tell you right now, I'm a financial professional. I've been doing this for 30 years. I should know what I'm doing. But guess what? I make mistakes. I lose my momentum. And guess what?You're going to do that, too. But let's get right in to the Word of God and let's see what we can learn about this today. And the first verse is from the book of Galatians.This is chapter six, verse nine. And it says this, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.And I think that's the main takeaway from today, if we do not give up. And what is this verse telling us? It's telling us that harvest. It's telling us consistency, that foundation takes time. But what's the secret?We can't give up. Let's look at the next verse, and that's From Luke, chapter 16, verse 10, a very common verse. A lot of people know this one.Again, this is Luke 16:10. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And I thought about, okay, Ralph, what are you really saying here?And I think this is so important, this is so profitable for us as we're listening or you're watching this today. It's all about small daily habits, those little decisions, those little minute by minute, hour by hour decisions.It's those small daily habits that build that foundation for a bigger blessing. And Scripture is telling us Luke 16:10, whoever can be trusted with just a little, can be trusted with much. It's all about building that consistency.Let's get to the final verse I have today. And that's from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 21, verse 5. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.Now, I usually use that verse in a different way, but today I really want to nail this rhythm because I think that's really what it's leading to in today's discussion. Haste leads to poverty. If you just act hastily, you're going to end up in this financial cycle of shame.You're going to end up constantly regretting things. You're going to constantly feel like you're not good enough.But if you're diligent, if you build that steady rhythm, you're going to win and win and win instead of those bursts of energy. And I thought this was great.James Clear wrote this book called Atomic Habits and he had this quote, and I wanted to use this today, but it's perfect, it's right on point. It says this. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. And that's really what we're talking about today.So the question for today is how can I make financial progress stick? That's the big stick in the mud, if you will today. And the answer is actually pretty simple. It's about establishing simple, repeatable rhythms.And see, victory is progress with grace, not perfection. And here's another great quote.It's from John Maxwell says this small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time. Well, let's get right to it. Today's action step. Just four steps today, but this will be impactful to you.First step, you got to start by identifying your core habits. Think about those habits that have the biggest financial impact on your life.Maybe for you it's that weekly budget check and you just haven't put it off. You're like, ralph, it was a good idea to do it, but man, I just never seem to get to it. That's a core habit. Maybe it's daily expense tracking.A lot of people fade after the first couple weeks to do that, you know, becomes a routine, it becomes a regimen thing. But then they're like, oh, you know what, I'm starting to fade a little bit on that. Or maybe it's that consistent debt payment.You've got that mountain of debts in front of you and you started off strong, man, you're running for that goal. But then life happens and you just start to fall behind. So first step, identify those core habits. Second step, and this one is critical.It goes along with what I see on the show all the time. What gets measured gets done. Schedule them. Open your calendar and block time for that.If it's that weekly budget check in, put it on your calendar, make it non negotiable. If it's that daily expense tracking, put it on your calendar. Do it every day.If it's that consistent debt payment, go back to your plan and put that into action. You got to treat these as non negotiable appointments for yourself. Hey, you're not going to miss that appointment with your doctor.Don't miss that appointment with yourself to build these long term, daily consistent financial habits. And here's the third thing I'm going to tell you to do. And a lot of people don't get this one, but this one is monumental.You got to get back on track quickly. You're probably thinking, ralph, what are you talking about here? If you miss a day, if you've overspent, don't quit. These are minor setbacks.You got to start right off. Don't wait till next week, don't wait till next month.So many people say, ralph, yeah, you know, I failed my budget this month, so next month I'm really going to get to it. That's a bad plan. Start today, start next hour, start tomorrow morning. Acknowledge the failure.You're going to make mistakes, but have grace for yourself and then restart the process immediately. Because in the end, it's all about consistency. And that consistency is far more greater than any level of perfection.Because let me tell you right now, you're never going to find that perfection. And the fourth step today, and I think this one is a big one, and that's find accountability. Accountability is really the key to this.If you want to stay consistent and if you want to continue. Listen, I'm going to give you an example.I used to do Weight Watchers, and the reason that I loved Weight Watchers is there was an accountability piece every week. If you've never done Weight Watchers, this is what you do.You go to the meeting and every week as you're walking in the door, you're getting on that scale, you're accountable. And really, in the end, you're only accountable to yourself. But that accountability is huge.So in these financial decisions, find that accountability partner. Maybe it's your spouse, maybe, maybe it's a mentor, maybe it's a financial group of people that you meet with. I think that's a great idea.Share your goals, but check in routinely, check in weekly, because accountability will result in sustained momentum. And when you do these things and you truly invest in these things, it's going to break that cycle of inconsistency.It's going to help you build lasting financial habits, and it's going to encourage grace. Because, listen, you're going to fail, you're going to make mistakes, but it's going to encourage grace and it's going to encourage perseverance.And when you can persevere, what did the scripture tell us the plans of the diligent lead to? It leads to long term peace and it leads to freedom. Hey, I don't know about you, but I would love to live in peace and freedom.Well, today's tools will get you there. How about we pray together now? Father God, we just thank you for the grace you extend to us each and every day.Sometimes, Lord, we We don't realize the abundant grace that you give us. And we confess that building and keeping consistent financial habits, Lord, is hard. Yes, we start with good intentions, but too often we stumble.We feel like giving up. And, Lord, I just ask that you would help us to embrace this discipline, but also to embrace grace.Lord, teach us that missing a step does not mean failure, but it really means an opportunity to lean on you more and more and begin again, Lord. So strengthen our resolve, Lord. Guide our habits and surround us with accountability and encouragement.May our progress be steady, Lord, and our hearts be at peace. And our stewardship, as always, Lord, honor you. And we ask this with confidence. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Lasting peace isn't built in a single day.It's forged. And I love that word because it's so important to use. It's forged through. Through consistency, and it's forged through grace.So I'm gonna remind you again today's action. Choose your core habits, schedule them, and restart again quickly.When you slip, remember this progress that sticks is progress done with God's help, not your own perfection. And I found this quote by Craig Groschel. He said, successful people do consistently what others do occasionally. Hey, we can learn from that.I'll repeat that one more time because I thought this was so important today. Successful people do consistently what others do occasionally. So what's the takeaway? Do it consistently.And if today's episode spoke to you, I'm going to encourage you right now, share it with a friend who might be struggling to keep their financial progress. So many of us find ourselves in this cycle of financial shame and we just need somebody to help us. Well, you can be a lifeline for them.Be an encouragement to them, help them to keep going. Share this show with them. Send them right to our website. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com.and hey, while they're there, encourage them to download a copy of my book. I just finished writing, how to Become a Financially Confident Christian. It's my third book and it was really a labor of love and I am just excited.People are really loving it. You can download a free copy by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming. I'm gonna give you that one more time.That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming. Now, tomorrow we're going to talk about why we still worry. So many of us still worry about financials even when things are going okay.Let me tell you right now, I'm going to give you a little heads up. You're not alone. In that. But tomorrow, I'm going to give you some concrete ways to break down that worry. And as I close today, you can do this.I believe in you, and more importantly, God believes in you. Now let's go out there today and be financially confident Christians. I encourage you stay financially savvy. God bless you, and you have a great day.