On the same page

One of the most common phrases I hear in my coaching is, "its so nice being on the same page." It took me a couple of years of coaching to realize the value of getting on the same financial page with your spouse. I knew it took a while before my wife and I got on the same page, at least enough to make massive progress in eliminating our debt.

So how do you get on the same page? First, it starts with communication. Talk openly, honestly, and most importantly with love, about where you are currently at financially. Then discuss where you want to go. What are your life goals and purposes? What kind of life do you want to lead? This is where both spouses will differ, but its good just to know where the other person is at.

The next step is to talk about what are the steps you'll need to go through to head in the direction of your goals and purposes. And then most importantly, what is the next step you will take. When my wife and I did this on her birthday in 2014. The first step we took was to start the cash envelope system. For the next three months we worked together to start using the cash envelope system and understanding how it could work in our lives.

Then every three months we worked on another step needed for our journey. We did this for 39 months. Every three months finding what our next step was and taking three months to figure it out and work it into our lives. After 39 months, we had paid off all our debt, including our house. Its amazing how much you can accomplish when you're on the same page.