Beyond the Goal: What's Your Deeper 'Why'?
In this episode of Ask Ralph , we explore the powerful connection between faith and finances—and why it’s about so much more than numbers on a spreadsheet. Ralph challenges the idea of simply applying Christian labels to secular strategies, and instead invites listeners to rethink money management as a spiritual practice rooted in biblical truth. From giving and saving to spending and investing, every decision becomes a chance to live out your faith with intention. The key? Understanding your deeper why.
Check out the full podcast episode here
We’ll talk about the difference between behavior-based financial plans and belief-driven stewardship, and how recognizing God’s ownership of your resources changes everything. Ralph unpacks the biblical foundation for handling money with purpose, reminding us that financial peace doesn’t come from control—it comes from surrender. Whether you're just starting your stewardship journey or reevaluating your current approach, this episode offers encouragement, wisdom, and a renewed focus on what matters most.
Chapters:
- 00:07 - Understanding Motivation Behind Goals
- 02:16 - Exploring Deeper Motivation
- 03:30 - Finding Your Financial Purpose
- 06:04 - Understanding Your Why
- 07:21 - Uncovering Your Why: The Foundation of Motivation
- 08:58 - Uncovering Your Why: The Key to Financial Motivation
Takeaways:
- Setting clear financial goals is just the first step; understanding your deeper motivation is key!
- When the going gets tough, remembering your true purpose can give you the strength to keep pushing forward.
- To break free from financial stress, connect your actions with your core values and beliefs.
- Don't just set goals based on numbers; dig deeper to find your emotional 'why' behind them.
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00:00 - Untitled
00:51 - Untitled
00:59 - Understanding Motivation Behind Goals
03:07 - Exploring Deeper Motivation
04:22 - Finding Your Financial Purpose
06:56 - Understanding Your Why
08:13 - Uncovering Your Why: The Foundation of Motivation
09:50 - Uncovering Your Why: The Key to Financial Motivation
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Hey, there, you set that specific financial goal
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yesterday, and that's fantastic.
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That's a great place to start.
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But when the going gets tough, what keeps you pushing forward?
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See, knowing what you're aiming at is great.
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But knowing why that's even more powerful today, let's
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uncover your deeper motivation.
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Hey there.
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Welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph.
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I'm Ralph, and it's just absolutely wonderful to connect with you again
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as we continue our series, the Joy of Living Below Your Means.
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We keep moving forward to break that cycle of financial shame
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and do it with confidence.
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Now, as you know, yesterday was all about setting a clear target.
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Today we're gonna change gears and we're gonna talk about
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fueling the journey to reach it.
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So you've got your smart goal written down for you.
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Maybe it's paying off that first debt, or maybe it's saving that first
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$500, but perhaps deep down you still feel a lack of that oomph and when it
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comes time to make another sacrifice.
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Maybe saying no to an outing or packing your lunch again or
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sticking to that budget category.
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Maybe the goal itself doesn't just feel like enough motivation.
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And here's the truth, goals based purely on numbers, They
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can sometimes feel colder.
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They can feel disconnected from what truly matters to us.
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When sacrifices feel hard,
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Willpower alone often isn't enough to keep us going long term if we
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haven't connected the goal to some deeper meaning within ourselves.
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That struggle with staying motivated, especially during difficult patches,
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because the goal lacks a strong emotional or spiritual connection.
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Well, that's the single challenge that we're gonna be exploring today.
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Here's the thing, lasting motivation rarely comes just from logic or numbers.
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It just doesn't it, it comes from the heart.
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It comes from connecting our actions to our core values, our deepest desires,
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and our relationship with God himself.
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We've gotta ask ourselves some really tough questions.
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Why do you really want to get outta debt?
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That's a tough question.
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Why do you really wanna save money?
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Or why do you really wanna live below your means?
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See, understanding and articulating your personal why that provides incredible
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resilient fuel for the journey you're on.
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It reminds you why the sacrifices are worthwhile.
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It reminds you why aligning your daily actions with a purpose that truly
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matter and honor God are so important.
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So what can we do?
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How do we tap into that deeper, that more resilient motivation?
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How do we fuel our financial journey with a purpose that lasts well, in my
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opinion, the single vital solution is to identify and write down your personal why.
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The why behind your financial goals and the changes that you're making.
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And this process involves asking yourself , why you wanna achieve
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the specific goal you set yesterday.
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And keep asking why until you get to the core reasons.
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Here's some great examples.
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Let's say you have a goal.
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You wanna, you wanna pay off a a thousand dollars credit card balance.
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You start by asking yourself why?
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Why do I wanna do that?
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Why I wanna do that?
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Because I wanna reduce stress.
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So then the next question is, why does reducing stress matter?
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Why does that matter?
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Well, so I can sleep better and, and be more patient with my wife
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or my husband or my children.
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Okay, that's great.
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But why else?
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Well, I, I wanna free up money.
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Okay.
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Well, why is that important?
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Why is freeing up money important to you?
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Well, so I can be more generous and save for the future.
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Okay.
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Well, why is that important to you?
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Why is it important for you to be more generous and safer for the future?
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'cause I want to be a better steward and trust God more.
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So maybe you're sitting there thinking, well, okay, Ralph.
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What?
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What?
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Well, maybe your why might be to find peace or your why.
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Might be to strengthen my family and and be free to honor God through
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generosity and through wise stewardship.
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Let's look at another example, or maybe your goal is save that $500 baby
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emergency fund we talked about last week.
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Start by asking why.
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I wanna do that because I wanna be able to handle small emergencies
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without going into debt.
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Okay, great.
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Well, why does that matter?
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Why does not going into debt matter to you?
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Well, because I wanna protect my debt payoff progress.
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I wanna feel more secure.
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Okay, that's great.
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But why else?
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Well, because I wanna rely less on credit and I wanna rely more on God's
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provision and wise planning and see your why might be to create stability.
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To protect our financial progress and to practice prudent planning.
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In the end, the solution is deep motivation.
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Connect your goal to your why now.
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Okay, this requires some quiet reflection.
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So here's your one action step for today, or maybe find 15 or 20 minutes this
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weekend if you haven't done it already.
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I wanna encourage you to do number one thing.
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Set your goal.
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Get your goal out.
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Look at that specific smart goal you wrote down yesterday, and
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then ask yourself the first why.
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Ask yourself, why do I truly wanna achieve this specific goal?
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And then I want you to write that first answer that comes to mind.
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And then I want you to ask why again?
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Ask why about that answer, and I want you to keep digging maybe three or four
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or five, Hey, for you, maybe it's seven or eight levels deep until you hit the
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core values, those core desires or those core faith principles that matter to you.
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And then step three, I want you to write down your why.
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I want you to summarize your core motivation or motivations in a sentence,
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or maybe for you a few bullet points.
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You know, what is the fundamental reason driving this effort?
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And then the four step, I want you to keep it visible.
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I want you to write your why down and keep it somewhere that you'll see it often.
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Maybe right next to your smart goal, you're gonna want to revisit this.
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So now you're likely asking Ralph, but why uncover your why?
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A lot of why's there?
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Well, because it directly combats the difficulty of faltering motivation.
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And you're gonna have those times when the, when the daily actions feel hard,
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they feel like they're impossible.
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Remembering your deep why is going to be critical.
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It's gonna be the fuel for this journey.
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And maybe your why is I'm doing this for peace, or I'm doing this for my
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family, or I'm doing this for freedom.
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I'm doing this to honor God.
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See that provides powerful, emotional and spiritual fuel
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that mere numbers often can't.
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It truly makes the journey meaningful and we all want to go on meaningful journeys.
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Well, let's pray together.
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Father God, you know our hearts and you know our deepest motivations.
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Lord, help my friend listening right now as they reflect on their why.
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We ask that you would guide their thoughts, reveal their true heart
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desires, and help them connect their financial goals to purposes that honor
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you and Lord, may their motivation be rooted, not just in personal gain, but
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in love for you and love for others, and a desire for faithful stewardship.
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Lord we ask that you would fuel their journey with your
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purpose and your strength.
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Especially when things feel difficult or impossible or tough, and we just
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thank you for giving our efforts meaning, and we ask this in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Alright, well take that time for reflection and spend some
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time and uncover your why.
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Write it down.
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Because knowing your deeper motivation is like having high octane
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fuel for your financial engine.
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It's going to make all the difference.
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Now, understanding your why is powerful, but sometimes other hidden motivations,
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things that have taken too high a priority in our hearts can get in the way.
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So be sure to join me back here tomorrow on Ask Ralph as we ask the tough question,
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our hidden idols affecting your finances.
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We're gonna discuss that on tomorrow's show.
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If this episode helped you connect with your motivation, helped you
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find your why, I wanna encourage you to share it with somebody else.
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Share it with somebody that can benefit from it.
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You can find resources and links in the show notes at our new website,
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financially confident christian.com.
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So until tomorrow, know your why and then just keep seeking him first.
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Let's keep working to become financially confident Christians.
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Stay financially savvy and God bless you.
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Have a great day today and get to your why.
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It's gonna make all the difference.
