I have recently been watching a TV show about people trying to climb Mout Everest. I consider it my weekly workout. It's one of the shows that makes you never want to climb a mountain, or it makes you want to sign up and go climb a mountain. It makes me want to go climb a mountain.

I caught one of the climbers saying something the other night that really struck a chord with me. He said that the most exciting part of the climb is reaching the top, and that all he ever did as a kid was to dream about climbing Everest. He then went on to say that it isn't until you are at the top of the world, that you realize that you now have the hardest part of the journey left to go. You have to get back down. More people die climbing back down Everest then going up. People are so focused on achieving what they perceive to be their ultimate goal (climbing Everest), that they often neglect the importance of getting back down the mountain. (I personally would rather ride a yak to the top of the world).

It is much like how we view our incomes. We try so hard to make money. We have income goals that we try to reach, whether it be $50,000 per year or $450,000 per year. But when we have done the work to earn this money, or found the job to earn this money, we forget the most vital part. We forget to consider what it takes to manage this money.  Who cares if you make $500,000 per year if you haven't planned on how you are going to keep any of it. We are at the top of Everest with no plan on how to get back down to Earth.

Making the money seems like it is the biggest challenge you will face, but managing your money is by far the most dangerous part of the cycle.

Disclaimer: No yaks or sherpas were injured or killed during the creation of this blog entry. I have named the yak pictured above, Mr. Steve Yakstone. Technorati Profile