Think about it. Why do you really want to be wealthy? What is your motivation behind wanting to learn how to save more money or get better returns on investments?

Digging deep in ourselves to understand why we’re motivated to pursue the things we pursue can help create a personal manual to reference when making choices. When you make choices that align with your values then you make better progress towards your goals and ultimately towards fulfillment.

For me, I pursued wealth because I wanted to express myself with creative endeavors outside my day job. But I didn’t yet have the skills to make enough money off my creative interests. My day job was not fulfilling me so I thought if I became a great investor and created enough passive income, I could essentially buy my freedom and do what fulfilled me even if that activity didn’t pay enough to make ends meet.

Understanding my motivation helped because it made it easier to make decisions. When I paid off my debt and saved a decent amount of money, I could have then got a luxurious car and upscale apartment while continuing to work my regular job. But I knew my motivation wasn’t to have the status symbol and luxury that comes from pricey items if it meant I had to spend nine hours a day doing something that was unfulfilling. My motivation was to give value to the world that I cared about. So instead of spending my money on luxurious items, I decided to save and invest more.

Maybe your motivation is different. Maybe you love your job, but your debt or lack of savings causes you anxiety and you want relief from that nagging stress weighing you down. Whatever your reason is, make sure you know it and keep it at the forefront of your mind. If you don’t understand your motivation then you risk society and marketing placing very convincing “needs” in front of you, which may steer you away from what you really want.

Below are some questions that can help you better understand what motivates you.

What are your priorities?

 What do you value most?

 What would you do if you had all the money you wanted right now? What would you buy and what would you do with your time?