Today is a day to celebrate… why? I just paid off the car I bought on December 18th, 2017 – less than one year ago today!

Three years ago my husband, Eric, and I were visiting his parents in Rochester, NY. I had been given an opportunity to temporarily manage a team at work. My Father-In-Law, Rick, was a manager in several of his roles over the years and was sharing some loving, fatherly, managerial advice.

He told me about a method he had practiced and read about. I do not remember the name of the author or the book but, the action was simple – write a goal on an index card and look at it every night before you go to bed and every morning when you get up.

Eric and I returned home and I wrote a goal to buy a car for cash on an index card. I looked at the card every morning and every night before I went to bed for a few days… and then I stopped believing. I questioned my ability to do such a thing and let the card sit in the drawer without looking at it. When I saw the card, I laughed to myself and sometimes thought – what if???

Two years later I started a new job at the same company. This job had many components that aligned with what I had been seeking and, yet, was outside of my comfort zone because it was brand new to me.

To help myself with the transition, I picked up two books that changed my perspective, my actions, and my beliefs – You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero, and The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod. In You Are a Badass, Jen Sincero shares how she challenged herself to buy a car she never thought she would be able to afford and to trust that the opportunity to make the money would find its way to her. I remembered the card in my drawer and I felt a small spark… what if?

The Miracle Morning has a different message. This book gave me a morning practice to focus on personal development. Through meditation, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and writing I continually give myself the gift of time in the morning to focus on how I want to show up and the impact I want to make in the world.

Fast forward to late 2017, I had saved money from my new job through commissions I had earned and decided it was time to buy. Did I secretly wish I had saved enough to pay cash for this car? Yes, absolutely. Despite all the personal work I had done, I still didn’t believe the goal on my index card was possible. There were too many questions and a lot of uncertainty.

When I purchased my car on December 18th, 2017, I proclaimed I wanted to pay it off in six months to one year. I had no idea how this was going to happen and made a bet on hope.

2018 has been a challenging year for the sales team I work with. My commissions have been less than last year. When June came and I hadn’t paid off my car, I thought to myself – well, just do the best you can and see how it turns out.

Around the same time, my husband’s business started picking up speed and we were saving more than we thought we’d be able to. As a result, I was able to add more here and there to my car payment.

In October, I was still a ways off from my goal and we ended up having our best sales month to date. I knew then that I had a really good chance of paying off the car I bought last year before the end of the year.

And, today, it happened!

Our unconscious brain works for us, whether we realize it or not. The concept of writing a goal on an index card and saying it every day is similar to reciting an affirmation. Our unconscious mind believes what we tell it and show it – even if it’s a visualization.

Over the last three years I thought – wow, wouldn’t it be amazing if I could buy a car and not have a car payment? Three years ago I was making significantly less money and I had no clear path how to do it. In all reality, I had given up on the idea – and myself – to some degree. However, life decided to surprise me and show me a way.

The spark, the flutter, that nervous excited-ness of an idea or a goal that keeps you coming back to it, it can happen. Maybe it won’t turn out exactly how you thought it was going to but it can happen. I challenge you to believe. Believe in yourself and what you can do.

© Chelsea Behrens