A number isn't magic. A number is just a number. However, we believe-- with all of our beings-- that a magic number exists, and that getting to it will solve all of our problems. "Once I have an income of two thousand dollars a week, everything will be okay," we tell ourselves. Or, "Once I have a hundred thousand dollars in the bank, everything will be okay."

But every time we reach our number, that number is suddenly too low. Why? Because a number will never solve all of our problems.

The magic number shimmers on the horizon. We see it as the oasis where all of our problems are solved. The persistence of this number is astonishing. Even those of us who feel we are financially sound may still harbor a "magic number" and the belief that it will turn things around.

Do you have a magic number? What do you believe will happen when you reach it?