The following blog is by Brittney Castro originally published in Brittney Castro’s Blog – Financially Wise Women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfyT1bZja8

I remember it so clearly. It was September 2012, and I was sitting at an airport cafe in San Antonio, Texas, waiting for my flight to board. It was right after an intense break-up with my boyfriend of six years, and I was at a point in my life where some major decisions needed to be made. Decisions like launching my own financial firm as a registered investment advisor; to stop managing money for clients and focus solely on financial planning work; to finally stop listening to all the self-doubt in my head and actually do what I wanted in life and business, regardless of what others might say…and so much more.

Every year around September and October I do a lot of in-depth life and business planning, but last year was different. It was different because for the first time in my life, I felt like if I didn’t start letting go of the things that didn’t fit in my life anymore, and finally step into the role of being the woman and the business owner/entrepreneur I wanted to be, I would be left feeling stuck and full of regrets. So on that rainy September day in the airport cafe, I started to create a new vision for what I wanted in my life, in every area you can imagine–love, business, health, friends, family, spirituality, finance, etc. I let all the truth come out on the pages of my notebook and didn’t limit my thoughts, since I knew what I was writing was coming from my heart. I just wrote–pages upon pages of what I envisioned for myself.

That was just over a year ago, and what’s happened since then has been magical. I can now honestly say I am living most of the dreams I wrote down on those pages. It’s been amazing to see that with the power of my vision–creating goals from my heart, writing down those goals, and taking daily actions to make my dreams a reality–everything has fallen and continues to fall into place quite nicely. In just a short time, dreams like Financially Wise Women becoming a registered investment adviser, me being named as one of the 20 top financial professionals to serve on the CNBC Digital Financial Advisor Council, being named one of the top five financial planners in Los Angeles by CBS, getting segments on KTLA and Money 101 with Bob McCormick, being able to work with amazing clients, speaking at events like the Goddess on the Go at Naam Yoga in Los Angeles, creating my very first online Money Class  (opens in January), and getting recognized in financial publications like Investment News, Registered Rep, etc., have all unfolded in front of me. I mean, this is what they call living the dream life, baby!

I’m telling you all this not to brag, but because I want you to know that you can achieve your financial goals the same exact way. To have financial success–which I define as having the money you desire and then managing that money with integrity and using it in a way to bring fulfillment to your life today and in the future–you can take the same steps I did to make those dreams into a reality.

And this week’s Financially Wise video is all about defining your dream life and then setting up financial goals to support it.

As we head into a new year, now is the time to get clear about what you actually want for yourself. This video is a must watch!

Watch the video and then make sure you actually complete the dream worksheet–then start living the dream, baby! It is so worth it.

Onward and upward!

About the author: Brittney Castro, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ is the Founder and CEO of Financially Wise Women, a Los Angeles based financial planning firm for women. She specializes in working with busy professional and entrepreneurial women who are passionate about life and want to gain clarity around their money. Brittney’s mission is to help women plan and create the life of their dreams, free from anxiety about money. She is known for her non-judgmental, compassionate approach to financial planning. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Planning Magazine, Investment News, and Registered Rep Magazine. Away from the office, you can find Brittney working out, drinking green juice, reading, playing at the park with her dog Arya and of course dancing. Visit her at http://www.financiallywisewomen.com and request a FREE 30-minute Discovery Session to discuss how financial planning can help you use your money to live a life you love. Financially Wise Women is a registered investment adviser offering advisory services in the State of California and in other jurisdictions where exempted.