Create Your Treasure Map To Riches

Baby Step #1

“I want to make lots of money. I want to be rich.”

If this is the extent of your wealth wish, then congratulations, you're probably already rich enough.

If you have $2200, you're already rich in this world.

“...research indicates that assets of just $2,200 per adult place a household in the top half of the world's wealthiest. To be among the richest 10% of adults in the world, just $61,000 in assets is needed. If you have more than $500,000, you're part of the richest 1%, the United Nations study says.”

Is $2200, even $61,000, your idea of rich? If not, then be more specific.

Why is it important to take this Baby Step?

If you don't know where you are going there's an excellent chance you won't get there. You need to create a crystal clear vision of exactly what being rich is for you. Your personalized image of “rich” needs to feel so real to you that you can literally smell it, touch it, hear it, see it, taste it, FEEL it. You need to own it.

Visualizing what wealth means to you shapes the way your mind thinks about money and your life. Your mind then sets in motion the actions necessary to begin achieving your goals. By taking the time to establish what real wealth looks like to you, you direct your efforts in ways that will make becoming rich, in your own terms, simple.

Are you ready to embark on a fun and rewarding journey towards your own riches? Great! We'll start with an exercise that is really fun. In fact your entire family will enjoy this one. Allow about an hour.

Instructions:

How to create your Treasure Map to a Rich Life:

1. Round up a poster board, some old magazines, scissors, glue, and colored markers.

2. Flip through magazines and cut out images, photographs, illustrations, titles, and quotes that catch your eye. Select images that evoke your feelings of happiness, phrases that put a smile on your face, and words that intrigue you.

3. Glue your cut-outs onto your poster board to create a collage.

4. Use your colored markers to add any additional words, quotes, or statements that make you feel happy.

5. Place a title on your poster board- something like, “My Treasure Map” or “My Rich Life Is...”, or “Happiness is...”.

6. Now step back and take some time to look at your collage. Do you like what you see? Do you feel happy when you look at it? If not, simply paste new images over the parts that don't make you feel good.

7. Make a wild guesstimate. Write down how much money you think you'll need to live the happy and rich life that you've just created on your Treasure Map. Don't worry about being accurate, but do be specific. “I want to have lots of money” is not good enough. You need to quantify how much money is “lots” for you, and include when you want it to happen. Write down some specific numbers and dates. Try something like “I want to make $100,000 next year and I want to have $1,000,000 saved by 2020”.

8. Proudly hang your Treasure Map where you will see it every single day. Some good locations include your refrigerator door, your closet door, over your desk, or on the wall across from your toilet.

9. Finally, take a photograph of your Treasure Map. Place this photo in your wallet or checkbook.

After you've completed this Baby Step:

Consider your map a work in progress. As you look at it daily you're bound to change your mind about a few things and clarify some details. Just pull out your glue stick and modify your map accordingly.

Now that you can visualize exactly what it is that you really want, you've taken the biggest step towards living a rich life. Your personalized image of wealth and happiness will drive your daily actions in simple and incredible ways.

I created my first Treasure Map to a Rich Life in my early twenties. A few years later I was living the life I had visualized. Every few years my life experiences would modify some of my aspirations and passions. My vision of wealth and happiness would change so I'd create a new Treasure Map. Lo and behold, my life would soon morph to fit my new vision. And so it has repeated over and over again. Truly amazing.

I've posted my most recent personal Treasure Map and my reflections on how my life has transformed since then.

Next, I'll explore how identifying, prioritizing and living according to my personal values is key to my financial well-being in Identify Your Spending Values (Baby Step #2)

Recommended Reading:
If you're interested in reading an effective and practical instruction book for living the life of your dreams, I highly recommend Wishcraft: How To Get What You Really Want by Barbara Sher. I first read this book in my early 20's and it changed my life. Seriously.

I like questions, comments and feedback from my readers. Please share your Treasure Map results!