A few years back I was sitting in my 2-bedroom apartment unemployed. I was not doing too badly, but I could do a lot better. I was on Section 8 housing, getting food stamps (now called SNAP), and broke. This was shortly after my daughter was born and I had quit my courthouse clerk job. Fortunately her father made sure the child support was on time so I at least had something coming in.

I sat at the table and thought about where I wanted to be in a year, in five years. One thing I knew, I didn’t want to be in the same apartment and living the same life. I could have (and probably did at times) complained bitterly about my circumstances, but I refused to because it wouldn’t help anything anyway.

I was reading the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People at the time. It made a positive impact on my life to the point that I decided to set some goals. I had always been a dreamer but never good at setting goals. That day I decided I would do it. I’d set my goals and begin moving toward them.

My list was a little over half a notebook page full. I wanted to make $25k a year. I wanted a house in the country. I wanted an SUV…..and the list went on and on. I just wasn’t sure how to go about getting the things I wanted, but I didn’t worry about it. I read through my list again then put it on top of my pile of papers. I lost that list for a long time, but when I found it again (while packing to move), I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the things on my list had come true.

A few weeks after I made the list I spoke to a good friend who worked at the largest company in the city. She told me about a position that I could possibly fill. She gave me the details and a few weeks later I had a new job making more money than I had ever imagined making. It would allow me to get a nicer place to live and begin building the life I wanted.

It all started with writing down what I wanted out of life. Writing my goals was equal to making a decision to have a different life. No matter how much I dreamed, it would be worthless if I did not turn it into a goal.

I recommend writing down what you want for your life. It is the first step to getting what you want. If you need help, I highly recommend you get the books The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
and/or Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It. The second book is lighter reading with very good practical examples and stories of other people who used this method.

I hope my story encourages you to take a risk and write down your goals. You have nothing to lose if you do. Look for more about  my journey to financial freedom over the next few months.

Samantha Gregory

Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.

Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.

She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.