Hannah McQueen is a financial adviser, chartered accountant fellow, personal finance author and founder of personal finance coaching firm enable.me.

OPINION: A few weeks ago, I completed my first marathon – none other than the New York Marathon.

I figured that if I was going to go out with a bang, New York was where it was at. Rewind to January and I was literally a couch potato.

In fact, after bullishly registering for the event, I then promptly googled “from couch potato to marathon runner” – in a bid to get a workable plan together that would take me from my unfit status to that of a marathon runner.

I initially thought, if I am not built for speed, I must be built for endurance. I have since concluded you can be built for neither!

It became clear early on that I am more of a fair-weather runner than expected. I held on to my DIY plan for a few months, but after peaking at 8km, my progress slowed and I struggled to maintain momentum.

Week by week I achieved a little less than the week prior and before I knew it, I wasn’t on track any more. This wasn’t helped by my husband – also a first-time marathon runner – who seemed to annoyingly get fitter and fitter, and certainly faster and faster.

A demoralising but ultimately unproductive comparison (and not so dissimilar to the “keeping up with the Joneses” trap I see so many of my clients fall into – more on that another time!)

One thing I pride myself on is self-awareness. I realised I wasn’t going to hit my target using a DIY approach so I either needed to do something about it or withdraw. Of course, quitting wasn’t an option – so I decided to get a running coach. Working with someone qualified to challenge me, support me, set targets, and hold me accountable to get me to the finish line was a game changer. I am proud to say that I crushed it.

So how does that relate to your finances? Well, for many, to become financially successful is a marathon in itself – you have to get in control of your money, save faster, pay your mortgage off quicker, grow wealth for retirement and make sure your kids are going to be financially independent.

In short, you need to have some pretty big goals in place, but the path to get you there is going to be different for each person. If that isn’t the equivalent of a financial marathon, then I am not sure what is.

And sure, you can reference times when you have been good with money (probably before you had kids) when you had fewer costs, fewer distractions, and more time on your hands – three favourable conditions for progress. But don’t dine out on this because it isn’t a relevant reference point any longer.

Financial progress isn’t linear – and this is probably the biggest lesson of all. Not one of my clients makes the same rate of progress from quarter to quarter. Of course, over a year we know where they will land, but there is a lot of volatility in the meantime.

This is one of the hardest mental barriers to break – and having a clear (but dynamic) plan, with guardrails in place and targets set by the circumstances of the day, is key to pushing through these boundaries.

This is true for money, weight loss and fitness. We are all prepared to put effort in, but if that effort is met with no progress or a worse outcome, then it will be hard to stay focused, which is why most plans aren’t maintained to completion.

When you know what to expect, where it will get hard and what you are going to do about it you are front-footed, and clear-headed. Two of the most underestimated mindsets that support wealth goals – and most fitness goals.

So, I’ve completed the marathon and the endorphins have kicked in – I haven’t forgotten the pain, but I am motivated by what I can achieve. In 2024 I will be running Berlin, and I will do it 15 minutes faster, but I will have a plan – because the plan and the accountability is key.

I think that’s a lot like financial success. You see progress, the endorphins kick in, you might not entirely forget the sacrifices, but you’re motivated to stick to the plan and before you know it – you’ve crushed it and you’re onto the next big goal.