The Change Phase: Turning Awareness Into Action
What does the life you want actually look like three to five years from now? And what are you willing to sacrifice to make it happen?
Most people want less debt, more savings, or greater financial security. But getting there takes more than good intentions. It starts with a clear picture of the future you're working toward and a willingness to make changes today.
In this episode of From Abundance to Wealth, Josh Eisenberg continues his three-stage financial coaching series by moving from the Awareness Phase into the Change Phase. He introduces Vision and Price, a writing exercise developed by Mesila that asks couples to describe, in the present tense, what they want their lives to look like three to five years from now and identify the price they're willing to pay to make that vision a reality.
Josh explains why couples create one shared vision instead of separate ones, and how having a common goal makes it easier to make financial decisions together. He also shares four real client stories, from a couple paying off debt while building a business to a family struggling with monthly cash flow, showing that every financial goal comes with different sacrifices. The episode concludes with a preview of the next phase in the coaching process: Maintenance.
Tune in to learn how creating a shared vision and embracing the right sacrifices can help turn your financial goals into lasting change.
Key Takeaways
Financial coaching moves from awareness to action through the Change Phase.
A written vision helps turn long-term goals into something tangible.
The "price" of your goals often involves changing habits, not simply spending money.
Couples are more successful when they build one shared financial vision together.
Better communication can be as valuable as earning more income.
Career growth often requires learning new skills and stepping outside your comfort zone.
Every family's financial plan is different because every situation is different.
Lasting progress comes from taking small, consistent steps toward clearly defined goals.
In This Episode
[00:01] Introduction to the change phase
[00:48] The "vision and the price" exercise
[02:53] The importance of a shared vision
[03:55] Client reactions and the coach's role
[05:08] Case study: A young couple with debt and a growing business
[06:05] Case study: A breakeven couple with a husband in a dead-end job
[07:03] Case study: A young couple living in a basement apartment
[08:06] Case study: A couple losing $5,000/month after a career change
[08:59] Transition to the maintenance phase
Notable Quotes
[01:08] "Imagine that it is three to five years from now, and write, in the present tense, the year is... We are... discuss your life, discuss the financial situation." — Josh Eisenberg
[03:02] "The vision has to be shared by both partners in a marriage. The spouses have to share and develop that vision together." — Josh Eisenberg
[03:12] "When a couple gets together and really works on it together and shows a shared vision... the likelihood of a successful coaching process goes up by multiples." — Josh Eisenberg
[04:38] "People are not very quick and easy to think about what they have to do or what they have to change. People don't like to change." — Josh Eisenberg
[09:11] "The idea here is we define the goals, we know where they want to go, and we figure out the first steps to start moving in that direction." — Josh Eisenberg
Resources and Links
From Abundance to Wealth
Podcast Link
Josh Eisenberg
LinkedIn
YouTube
Website