I am paying myself 20% of my monthly income. It´s the first payment I make every month. I do it religiously and I will continue to do so. As this money goes into my wealth account it enables me to realise ALL my life goals. Paying myself FIRST, religiously, is how I am funding my retirement. I´ve changed the way I think about money.

I can see how I had previously wasted my wealth. I now realise and understand that paying myself FIRST every month is the MOST fundamental and crucial expense I have the responsibility to pay. Let me hear that word again: responsibility! I pay myself knowing that I am, at last, creating MY financial independence. The very financial independence I´ve always wanted - and the key has been with me all my life. My shift in thinking, of just a few degrees - an adjustment in attitude, allowed me to achieve this, my most important of goals. I am very wealthy as a result.

How do I do it? Carry out the wisdom below

Money is like water - it expands to fill the container you put it in. If you don't have an objective goal in place for your finances, you no doubt reach the end of each month and find you have pilfered everything you had left after your bills and living expenses were paid. You vow that next month will be different, but it never is.

This scenario is certainly one we can all identify with - but it doesn't have to be that way. If you are looking for ways to start saving money, the most effective strategy you can utilize is to pay yourself first.

Start with your monthly bills

When you sit down to pay your bills at the beginning of the month, the first check you write should be to yourself. Decide on an amount you can commit to for at least six months, and immediately pay that "bill" by depositing the money into your brokerage, mutual fund, or retirement accounts. You must do this even if you cannot afford it! Then, pay your other bills as usual. If you find that you do not have enough money to cover all the expenses, write down how much you need to come up with - and then raise it. If this means you have to recycle cans, switch to an off-brand cereal, work a few extra hours, or cancel your magazine subscriptions - do it.

Is that too hard?!

Think it sounds too hard for you to do? If so, you must answer this question for yourself: Is the pain of giving up your "perks" greater than the pain of being in financial bondage? If it is, you need to resign yourself to remaining in the same financial situation for the rest of your life. In fact, if you are prone to using debt as a means of 'upgrading' your lifestyle, it will probably get worse. No one is going to work for you if you won't work for yourself. Taking control of your finances creates a sense of empowerment that will reach into every area of your life. The freedom that comes from knowing that you and your family will be provided for regardless of what may come up cannot be expressed in words - it's something you will experience for yourself when you make the decision that being financially independent and secure is more important than impressing your neighbors with new "stuff".

Honour your WORD

Once most people have given their word to someone, they are careful to keep their promise. They have no qualms, however, about lying to themselves. If you are going to be successful, you must honour your commitment... you cannot cut yourself any slack. As soon as you miss one "payment", odds are, you will miss another, then another, until you have stopped saving altogether. The secret to success in this game is not so much the amount of money you are investing, but the persistence with which you are doing it.

Sort it out.