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By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

Charles Spurgeon.

Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing.

John C. Maxwell, Talent Is Never Enough .

The tortoise always wins the race.

In the classic story of the tortoise and the hare, the slow tortoise who keeps his eye on the goal always beats the hare who is distracted by many things along the way. The same is true with our daily lives. Do we keep our eye on our financial goals and take one step after another to reach them with great determination and perseverance? Or, do we get distracted by a new gadget or other financial product that isnt in line where we want to go?

If you follow the 7 steps to financial wellness, one at a time, you will reach your goal and win the race.

Short sprints are just as good as a cross-country.

Think of your financial journey as many short sprints. Your uniform for the race is a household budget  where income minus expenses for the month should equal exactly zero.  A thousand dollar starting emergency fund is the first check-point in the race. Once you cross the line, celebrate by lining up to start the next sprint towards debt-elimination. Line those hurdles up from smallest to largest. Pay minimums on all but the smallest. Pay extra as your budget allows on the smallest to knock it out of the race fast. Now move on the next hurdle, and the next until you are debt free! As you collect your goal medal for the hurdles, you will probably feel like you received a raise. Maybe you have! You can now do what you want with your income rather than having the bills decide where your money goes.

Slow down for the long haul race.

Now that you are debt-free you may think that it is time to party. Well, you are not quite done with your races yet. Your next obstacle is a fully funded 3-6 month emergency fund to keep you from having to run the get out of debt race again (and again). Run that race and build your fund so that you can start to build your wealth. Perseverance is as important in this race just as it is in the others. You may be feeling rich, but you need to get some wiggle room between you and emergencies. When you are done with this step, it is time to start investing into your retirement, fund vacations, save for a remodel or whatever else you have been postponing. It is also time to draw up a race plan to pay off your home.

Water break!

You cannot afford to stop running your race until you are finished. You may get tired along the way, but this is where perseverance comes in  when you are tired. It is easy to say that you are persevering when you are accomplishing your goals and have energy, but to accomplish your goals when you are tired takes perseverance. Investing for retirement, saving for college for the kids and paying off your home early are almost as hard as paying off your debt. You are feeling good and in control and it is easy to take a short break and never come back. Dont take your eye off the ball, keep your feet moving one after the other toward your goals to pay off your home and build wealth.

Staying pointed in the right direction takes perseverance, but the peace, freedom and accomplishment that you will feel and the long-term benefits of building wealth will outweigh the aches and pains of the race.

Tim and Kathryn Gerken are Dave Ramsey financial coaches in Newcastle, WA. They serve their community through speaking, workshops and coaching. To learn more contact us .