What is the goal? It would seem that, stupid question, and so everyone knows. However, it would not hurt to delve into the history of the origin of the word, because it concretizes the concept. And makes it substantive and voluminous, as in 3D.
Heart or apple
The word "goal" entered the Russian literary language in the 18th century from Polish: cel and German zil. In Dahl's dictionary (1909) its meaning is given: this is meta. That is the subject, in which someone aims, trying to get. All in all, target for shooting, target with painted circles, of which the middle is a heart or an apple.
Later, the word began to be interpreted in Russian as an object of aspirations.
Children and money
According to the director of the National Center for Financial Literacy, author Books "Children and money" Evgeniya Bliskavka, if the child has pocket money since childhood, then he becomes a successful adult. This is confirmed by the results of the study..
But pocket money alone is not enough. After all, parents often give them just like that, without setting any clear rules. And it’s hard for a child to plan something, that's why he spends these "income" also just like that. Should have told him, how to deal with your desires, make savings to hit the "target".
Children, experienced in achieving goals, subsequently coped more successfully with various issues in their adult life. And the sooner this experience begins to form, all the better. So you can allocate pocket money to a child from the age of five or six.. Certainly, a small amount at first, but it needs to be done regularly, allowable, once a week. Well, then you should gradually increase. And most importantly, the child must know, why does he need this money. Know and see the goal.
Little Rockefeller's Notebook
The world's first official dollar billionaire, John Rockefeller, got pocket money at the age of seven. Truth, not his parents gave him these funds, and he earned them himself, fattening turkeys for sale, digging potatoes for the neighbors and selling candy. It’s not God knows what income the boy wrote down in his notebook. And when he got hold of money, bought a ledger, where all expenses and incomes are taken into account.
That is, the child had a specific financial goal - to become rich. Maybe, he never dreamed of becoming a billionaire, but he was probably going to earn a million or two dollars. How else to explain, what in 13 year he lent to one farmer 50 Dollars (all blood, kept in a piggy bank) under 7,5% per annum?
Presumably, the famous American billionaire investor Warren Buffett also had a specific financial goal in childhood (condition is valued over 80 billion dollars). Now for him 90, when it was six, Warren bought a package of cola and resold it. The first profit of the future legend of world business was only five cents. And by the age of eleven, Buffett saved up money and bought three shares of Cities Service Preferred for himself and his sister.. This was his first investment..
Why do you need new sneakers??
Good advice on achieving a financial goal is given by James McKenna in the book "Your First Million". He reveals the secret: you can't buy different trendy things just because, that everyone buys them. Vice versa, we must try to save money, not spend them. Let's admit, why do you need new sneakers, if the old ones are still quite realistic for a year. And instead of fast food at McDonald's, it's better to eat homemade food.. And generally speaking, Isn't it time to find a part-time job instead, to hang out with friends.
Yes, Harshly. But how else? Most millionaires would never have made it, if they didn't have a financial plan, claims James McKenna. But here's a good thing to keep in mind, that this goal should not be a stone dogma. After all, some tasks are solved in an hour, others - per day or week, and some, maybe, for months or years.
Here it is necessary to be more flexible
And that everything was laid out on the shelves, it is necessary to form three types of goals: Short term, medium and long term.
The author deciphers each of them. What are short term goals? This is when the child saves, say, to a concert of your favorite band, new smartphone or skateboard. Or wants to put a certain amount in the bank for the next million.
Medium-term projects are already more expensive: automobile, overseas travel or university studies.
Well, long-term goals are the distance to 20, 30 and more years.
There are also intermediate. This is when before, how to achieve any of the main goals already listed, a certain stage needs to be overcome. For example, the purpose of driving a car is the main. But you can't do without getting a driver's license., means, you need to graduate from a driving school - this will be an intermediate goal.
Not to be confused with wishes
James McKenna emphasizes: it is very important to formulate financial goals as clearly as possible. The child should know, what he wants. Have them write down their goals on a piece of paper., print on a printer or make a note on a smartphone.
A forum participant on one of the professional psychological sites, Alexander Evstegneev, highlights this moment: "It is common knowledge, what if you don't write down your goals, if you don't read them (that is, do not visualize), if you do not plan steps to implement them, then these are not goals. These are wishes, which are unlikely to ever come true".
"Baby, we will solve everything!»
The child should not just visualize the financial goal. But also do something specific to achieve it.: feel and try the mechanism of accumulation and optimization of spending. Parents are the main help here.. Evgeniya Bliskavka is surprised, that "for some reason we think: ouch, will grow up, still have time to get stuck with these problems, let the child have a childhood". And the director of the financial literacy center cites case studies, when many mothers at her seminars declare, that their children will soon be 20 years, and ask to tell, how to make them get off the parent's neck.
But no way, Evgenia answers. Mom and dad talked all the time: darling, don't worry, we will solve everything. And why baby suddenly in 20 years should behave differently?
Homework: game element
The author of the book "Children and Money" has no doubts, It's easy to learn how to set financial goals and achieve them. On the contrary, it's fun.! If you add a game element. “Have you ever tried together to select the best sneakers in the price / quality category through a“ test purchase ”? Carried out the "purchase according to the list" quest in the hypermarket? Observed the behavior of the security? Believed, how many kinder surprises can you buy for the price of a new robot or doll? Bank "Domashny" was opened? Preparing a business plan for "their own business"? These and other simple and extremely exciting activities will lay a solid foundation for future financial well-being and opportunities for the realization of the dreams of our children..
Try it! By the way,, A great and popular way to teach a child how to handle money and build a financial strategy is to play Monopoly..
