Last Modified on March 4, 2020

Focus is elementary in all aspects of life. Whether it is education, relationships, work, or finances, being focused is necessary and irreplaceable for achieving the desired results. It is no secret that motivated and purposeful investors are more likely to attain financial freedom in life. However, people tend to sometimes deviate from the right financial path because of changing needs, family responsibilities, and most importantly, a lack of focus. 

Significance of focus in financial planning

Many times, focus is confused with a one-directional approach towards managing your finances. On the contrary, focus is a multi-dimensional approach that can help you succeed in achieving the ultimate goal by rationing it in smaller milestones. The idea is to achieve the final objective by concentrating on all smaller aspects that help build-up the desired wealth. 

The financial focus, however, is achieved by following a disciplined approach towards the end goal. Here are some habits that investors need to incorporate in their behavior to ensure economic success.

1. Perseverance

The first habit that you need to cultivate in your routine is perseverance. In the journey of achieving financial success and freedom, being dedicated to your goal is of utmost importance. Every year, millions of SIPs are started, many investment plans are made, and budgeting apps are downloaded, but only a few are followed through to see their benefits come to light. New Year resolutions are easy to make but hard to be followed and accomplished. Keep in mind that it requires dedication to realize your dreams.

2. Discipline

Discipline and focus are inter-related terms to a great extent. Just as in meditation, you cannot attain peace and calm until you are disciplined enough to practice it daily and let nothing come in your way. Similarly, when you are looking forward to achieving a financial victory, it is very important to be disciplined day in and day out. For example, consider a goal that requires you to save $50 a week. Even if you miss one week of saving, your end goal will get considerably altered, leading to lowered returns and unachieved goals. 

3. Patience

Patience and perseverance are two habits that go hand in hand. In order to be successful in what you do, you need to be patient and to be patient you need perseverance. As they say, patience is a virtue and it is aptly realized in financial matters. Monetary success and freedom do not come overnight. You need to be resolute and determined to realize your dream. There may arise a situation when the struggle becomes real and exhausting. You will feel the urge to take a step back from all your investments. But remember that the struggle is not permanent. The hardships you are facing today will definitely lead to a brighter future ahead. The right approach is to keep encashing all the opportunities and learning from all obstacles to not repeat the same mistakes again. 

4. Self-motivation

There are so many people who wish to become financially successful but only a few are able to turn it into a reality. The biggest difference that lies in successful and unsuccessful people is their motivation. While most people look for external motivation to do a task, financially successful people are self-motivated. It is their focus that urges them to make the right investment and savings decision however hard they may be. 

5. Improvisation

In this dynamic world, everything moves and alters at a fast speed. The investment markets are equally susceptible to change and require consistent improvisation in your strategy and goals. Investors who are able to keep up with the changing trends are likely to achieve financial freedom sooner than others. Improvisation also lies in mapping your financial performance across various parameters and bringing about any changes if desired. As a general rule, you must focus on delivering better results than your past performance. 

6. Dismissal

In your journey to attain financial freedom, one of the biggest enemies of your wealth is debt. All financially successful people first clear off any debt or financial burden that lingers over their head and then proceed further to find ways to grow their corpus. Credit card bills, high-interest loans, mortgage, etc., are common forms of debt that can come in the way of wealth creation. It is important to repay loans and maintain a good credit score at all times so you can focus on how to increase your savings rather than on how to settle loans. 

7. Planning

The most important aspect of attaining a strong financial focus is to plan your way to financial freedom. Planning is the most elementary step in all finance-related decisions. The success and failure of your journey will be partially decided by your strategies and plans. Thus, making a robust financial plan is very important. 

8. Staying put

Lastly, staying put throughout the journey and not getting discouraged by obstacles will differentiate you from the ones who quit or change paths midway. The uncertainties of the financial markets are unavoidable but the best you can do is diversify your portfolio in a way that contains a mixture of investments; both secured and dynamic. An ideal investment portfolio contains equities to ensure capital appreciation and fixed return securities to ensure stability. Returns from investments can fluctuate from time to time, especially in bearish phases, but the right combination of passive and aggressive investing over time can present favorable outcomes. 

To sum it up

Focus is a fundamental element to attaining success. The various components that need to be inculcated in your behavior play a vital role in attaining financial freedom. It is important to reinforce your strengths and work on the areas of improvement to constantly evolve and grow. 

However, sometimes it gets difficult to clearly understand where you are headed and the confusion can be detrimental. It is advisable to seek professional guidance from financial advisors to build-up a robust financial plan that keeps you focused and motivated.