Don’t make minimum payments on your dreams!
Too often, we treat our life dreams like a credit card balance — giving just enough attention to keep them alive, but never truly paying them off. Just like making minimum payments on a credit card can trap you in a cycle of debt, doing the bare minimum to go after your life goals will hold you back from your full potential.
The bare minimum leads nowhere
Consider this: the average American carries a credit card balance of over $6,500. If you only make the minimum monthly payment (usually around 2-3% of the balance), it can take 10-20 years to pay off the debt (depending on the interest rate). Over all that time, you’ll likely pay 2-3 times the original amount. A $6,500 balance can balloon to over $15,000 by the time you’re done paying. The math is sobering, and the negative impact is significant — financially and mentally.
But far, far worse, is that many of us approach our goals and aspirations with the same mindset. We treat our dreams like credit card debt, paying just enough attention to them to keep them alive but never fully committing to their fulfillment. We justify it by saying we’re busy, or we’ll get to it “someday.” In my case, as my fellow Lions in Impact Actual will tell you, I’m usually saying “But I’ve got all these other important things to do!”
And also like the credit card debt, the longer you wait, the more costly it becomes. You’re losing time, opportunity, and — the greatest tragedy — the chance to live the life you were made for.
When you make minimum payments on your dreams, you’re delaying their realization. You’ll stay stuck in mediocrity by treating your dreams like any other mundane task. The real costs include compound interest of missed chances, no momentum, and disappointment in yourself.
This is rooted in science
There’s a psychological toll to living this way, too. Research shows that people who stay in debt often experience greater of stress and anxiety, feeling shackled by financial burdens they could have avoided. And people who neglect their dreams feel the weight of unfulfilled potential. Every day you put off giving your all is another day you lose the chance to live with purpose.
At Impact Actual we’re dedicated to helping you overcome that insidious tendency to hang out with “Slow Bob“ (#SLOBOB — your “Self Limiting Old Beliefs Or Behaviors.”)
To break this cycle, you have to go beyond minimum payments
-Invest time, energy, and resources into your goals, like you’d make extra payments to pay off debt faster
– Commit to daily action, even if it’s small — over time, those small efforts compound into significant progress
Remember: the power of consistency can’t be underestimated. Whether you’re working on your career, health, relationships, or personal growth, putting in the effort now leads to exponential rewards later.
One of my old SEAL Teammates, Shaun Keilen, used to put it simply during our daily workouts: “Pay me now, or pay me later.”
So stop making minimum payments on your dreams. Don’t settle for “someday” when you can start making it happen today. Life is too short to be trapped by the limitations of “just getting by.” Pay in full — with passion, dedication, and action — and watch your dreams come to life.
– Rob DuBois, Founder and CEO, Impact Actual
(Think you may be ready one-on-one Impact Coaching with me? Click here to book a private, no-cost Mission Planning call and you’ll walk away with an actionable strategy for your goals.)
