Are you the Hammer?
I read a lot, mostly financial and self help topics. While doing that I pick up phrases, snippets of wisdom, and pearls of advice that resonate with me. Some of my earlier blogs have been built around song lyrics that I feel encouraged to share. Simon and Garfunkel sang in El Condor Pasa, “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail…”. I’m with them and who isn’t?
The hammer is in control, making things happen. A nail? A victim, waiting for life to happen to it, and then trying to recover.
Life by Design
Ron Carson describes “living by design” in his recent book, The Sustainable Edge: 15 Minutes a Week to a Richer Entrepreneurial Life. It’s a good read even if you don’t think of yourself as an entrepreneur. Isn’t that idea–living by design– a worthy goal? How many of us at an early age thought I’ll just go through life as a pinball bouncing from one bumper or paddle to another until my turn is over? I’ll bet most of us had at least a few aspirations as to what would make our life a fulfilling existence.
Being the planner type, I of course want to engage people who want to live by design. My mission is to help you plan your financial future, thereby increasing your opportunity to live by design in other ways too. WHY? Because I’ve heard… “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor and rich is better”
So my “WHY” is a passion to help people create a life of richness and I don’t just mean financially. If we could design our life as we live it, wouldn’t we want ample wealth–and freedom– to do the things we value? For some of us that seems to work out reasonably well. For others it becomes a bigger struggle every day.
Will 2017 be the Year of Progress?
In my next few blogs I’ll explore financial concepts and practices that can improve the likelihood you will achieve a life by design and gain extraordinary richness, regardless your current level of success as you define it. Make no mistake however, wishing will not make it happen. Progress usually requires change. And change is often the biggest challenge of all.
Let’s get started. Think in terms of threes. We can handle 3s– major concerns, most important goals, most challenging questions, most cherished people, etc. If we limit things to 3s, we will necessarily be setting some boundaries and priorities. When I learn about someone — and they learn about themselves as they answer these questions– real progress can be made.
It’s magical how ideas, decisions and actions fall out of this process. The beauty of answering these questions is they beget more truly important questions. How much will it cost? When do I want it? How important is it to me given that time and money are scarce resources?
Peeling the Onion
Financial Planning is peeling your onion. Stripping away the layers that define you down to the core of your soul. What can be more important? More valuable? More challenging? And of course more rewarding? Are you ready? We shall continue…