The Secret Formula for Incremental Change

My wife and I are coordinating Financial Peace University again this semester, and this week’s lesson was the one for which Dave Ramsey is most known. It’s all about getting out of debt using the Debt Snowball method. Dave gets so fired up in the lesson that it gets me excited every time I watch it.

One of the parts of the lesson that has always most resonated with me is his formula for achieving success with his plan. He doesn’t call it a formula, but it has always seemed like a nice, succinct formulaic statement. I can attest that the formula works because it’s exactly how our family got out of debt.

I’ve modified it a bit for clarity’s sake, but it goes like this:

(P + T) x S = R

Your Level of Passion over Time multiplied by your Depth of Sacrifice equals Results.

As you can see, this isn’t a magic formula. Implicit here are dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. This formula doesn’t offer an easy road.

Each component of this formula is crucial for achieving the change you desire in your life. You must be passionate about your goal — you’ve got to want it! You must understand that change takes time — incremental change is a marathon, not a sprint. And you must be willing to sacrifice, knowing that the deeper you’re willing to sacrifice, the faster you’ll reach your goal.

This is the secret to incremental change. Get fired up about who you want to become and dedicate yourself to implementing change over the long haul. Be willing to sacrifice deeply and you’ll begin to see amazing changes happen in your life.

Originally published at The Incremental Life.