“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt, April 23, 1910

This famous quote is still popular because it’s as true today as it was in 1910. Fighting in the arena, making the journey, or performing in the show is a lot harder than watching from afar. It’s easy for an observer or commentator to criticize and point out mistakes. Doing the actual work is much more challenging

Have you ever shared a painful parenting moment with a friend and their well-intentioned response made you feel worse? Have you spoken on stage and received post-performance ratings that made you doubt yourself? If you answered yes, rest assured, you are not alone. Moments like these are very difficult, and you may want to shy away from them, but the most important thing you can do is allow yourself to deeply engage with these experiences. This is experiential learning.

My goal is to help support your learning. There is endless content I can share with you about how to pay off debt and build wealth. There is no shortage of materials. I decided to use the Ramsey Solutions Financial Peace University (FPU) Baby Steps program because it is simple and actionable. If you do the work, it works.

The most important thing is to apply what you read and learn to achieve financial freedom. Here are three practical points to remember and repeat over time:

1. Simple – Keep it Simple

2. Stick – Stick to the program

3. Stay – Stay the course

“Complexity is the enemy of execution.” ~ Tony Robbins

The reason the FPU Baby Steps plan works is because of its simplicity. There is no need to overcomplicate things. It can be tempting to modify the steps, such as the snowball debt payoff method. Please don’t. There is a reason the snowball effect works. It’s also important to stick to the baby steps in the order of priority. They’re in that order for a purpose. Finally, stay the course. The path to financial independence is long. It’s a lifelong journey with daily decision making. Imagine yourself on a journey toward freedom, one foot in front of another. Just keep on walking.

Children grow every day though we may not see it in the moment. They outgrow their clothes and shoes and hopefully immaturity. Your finances are not that different. Growth requires time. It’s an essential ingredient. Start growing today and begin feeling the impact of your work. You are worth it.

Dare to dream again!