Get Your Sheep Together
The question is…why? Why can’t I just chill out, roll with the punches, play things by ear? Like most character traits in a mature (I think mature) adult, this part of my personality has evolved through countless life experiences. I’ve missed out on events, failed exams, underperformed at work and let my friends and family down.
That is until I got my life in order…
My philosophy is that by looking after the cents the dollars look after themselves; that the bigger picture is clearer when the smaller things aren’t allowed to spiral out of control. By having a degree of organisation in the day-to-day, I don’t lose sight of the long term. In other words I can focus on the big picture…my goals and dreams. I guess the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said it best when he pondered
“to forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity”.
Whilst I understand we all have unique personalities and find what works well for us through experience, I cannot understand why people choose to maintain a life pattern of disorder when it is relatively simple to establish procedure and process to ensure a smoothly functioning life.
The most amazing thing I’ve found is that once we set up a system to deal with the daily, weekly, monthly, and annually occurring events in our lives, the curve balls we’re thrown are much more manageable! And what this achieves in my life is a sense of being in control, and the peace of mind in knowing that I haven’t forgotten or overlooked anything.
This of course includes my finances. In fact, this is one of the most important factors in life to address in a modern world. This can be done by simply completing and sticking to a household budget. This allows us to know when we can afford luxuries like a holiday or a meal at an expensive restaurant….and when we simply can’t! It also gives us peace of mind that those large regular expenses like registering the family car have been planned for, and money put aside during the year to address.
Whilst not everyone will achieve the heights of anal retentiveness that I pride myself on, they can certainly take the time to work out if they are living beyond their means. Knowing where your money goes and how this helps you to maintain the lifestyle you want is the most fundamental part of having a plan for life…a financial plan.
Wouldn’t it be great knowing you have control of your life and your future? Wouldn’t that alone make life more satisfying? I certainly believe so…enough to have made it the foundation of my day-to-day life. And because I have the daily chaos of living mostly under control by organising every controllable part of my life, I have more time to focus on the actual living part.
Have some bigger goals you want to plan for?
It can really help to create a financial roadmap with the help of a professional. Why not call us to arrange an appointment on 02 9328 0876.
General Disclaimer: This article contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information. Please seek personal financial advice prior to acting on this information.
Life threw a curve ball when Mum was no longer able to make financial decisions about her future. Navigating the aged care system left me utterly confused. I knew what we needed to achieve for mum but having the know-how was another matter. Andrew Tate was brought into this process and helped us not only establish clear goals but produced a comprehensive strategic paper that compared scenarios to achieve such goals. He comprehensively walked us through the findings to the point where we felt 100% confident in making the same decisions that a short time ago seemed overwhelming. I am incredibly grateful to Andrew for his precise knowledge and desire to help my family.’