In its most simplistic form, financial planning is the process of charting a course from where you are today to where you want to be. The first step is to become crystal clear about what The Sketchy Guy, Carl Richards, calls your “Current Reality.” In other words, a balance sheet. Where you stand financially today. The cumulative result of all your income and expenditures. Once you are clear on your current reality, you can start coming up with concrete goals. Now, no one can tell you exactly what path you will take to arrive at those goals. But what is practically guaranteed is that there will be ups and downs along the way. When you hit the downs, it’s important to keep them in context. Down from yesterday may still be up from last year. Focus on the big picture. As long as the average of your ups and downs is a clear path to your goals, you’ve got nothing to worry about