Each of us has the potential to have certain “blind spots” in developing or executing our personal financial strategy. For some it may be in developing skills or applying themselves to earn money. Many have a blind spot for spending without a budget or blowing the budget by overspending even if they have one. Still others have blind spot in long term planning or in how to honor God by what they give to others.

Finding a mentor or mentors you can trust in these areas can be very helpful, in some cases crucial, for success. When choosing a mentor, look at their life and finances to see if it reflects what you are pursuing for your life. Don’t just pick someone who has a lot of money but has made a wreck of their family life. Pick someone that represents the result or outcome you wish to achieve.

If you don’t already have someone you know that would fit this description, consider getting involved in your community or local church to develop relationships with the type of people you admire and want to be like.  Invest in developing a relationship with them. Get to know them. Let them get to know you.

Once you have established this relationship you probably want to ask them directly about being a mentor or accountability partner for your personal finances. Make sure they are ok making that commitment so they can put the proper time toward it.

You do not have to involve them in every detail but can have even general discussion that can help you get an unbiased “cold eyes” assessment of your plan and execution of your financial strategy. They can help you see more clearly where on your own you had a blind spot.

For a simple example… let’s assume Peter is trying to get out of debt and stick to a budget. Peter has always accepted that having over $100 / month spend on television programming is not only normal, but necessary. He may continually overlook this as an item he could cut from his spending. When he talks to Paul, Paul recognizes this is a “want” and not a “need” and can help challenge Peter to target spending reductions in that area. In this case, Paul is more objective to the decision, where Peter may be biased because he really likes to watch lots of TV. Peter finds a solution by signing up for a streaming service which replaces his expensive TV programming for less than half the cost.

Mentors that you trust and that have demonstrated the results you want for yourself in their own lives can be very helpful to involve in our financial plans and strategies.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .