That’s right, it’s time for a pop quiz. (No groaning — this is a good quiz, and it only has one question.)

If you’ve been participating in the 31 Days to a Better Bank Balance steps all along, it’s pretty safe to say by Day 15 that you want to improve your bottom line.

In fact, you’ve probably literally been talking out loud about the specific improvement, change, or goal you’re undertaking. And that’s great, because articulating that is critical.

Keep doing that regularly. Continue focusing on and talking about just the ONE thing you find most important. (You did pick just one, right?) Talk about that thing every day, even. It’s important to you, so keep it top of mind.

But you need to do more than talk. You need to act and then check on your progress, too. This little pop quiz will help you see on whether or not you’ve started to align your actions with your words.

To do this, write down the thing you want in big letters, and then look back over the past few weeks. What have you done to bring yourself closer to your desire? Write those things down in a list. (And yes, doing the Better Bank Balance series counts too.)

For example, we want to pay off our mortgage by the end of 2011, so “Mortgage Completely Paid Off!” gets put down in big letters.

Now for the list of positives. We’ve been earning more money, paying extra toward the mortgage once or twice a month, tracking and celebrating our progress, my husband is all done saving for a large goal he wanted to complete first and so will have more money available to send soon, and I often daydream about what it will be like when we don’t owe anyone anything anywhere. Those are all things that align with what we want, so they go on the list.

When YOU do this, be sure to take some time afterward to feel proud of your progress, and focus on doing more of those things. If you don’t have many items listed, think of at least two additional things you could begin doing now and get started on them. If you need ideas, ask for suggestions in the comments.

Remember, you’re on the right track, and you’re on your way.