What is all this fuss about personal finance? Is it really worth all the time and energy that some people give it? What impact can it really have on my life?
Money means some many different things to different people. Some people use it to measure the level of their success. Others use it as a way to take care of their families and feel secure.
We all have a different relationship with money but I believe most of us can agree that money holds some value. The best selling book “Your Money or Your Life” describes money as “life energy”. It is something that you trade your time and attention for.
As we move farther through life, the more we realize how short it actually is. We realize how little time and energy we have.
Unfortunately, for most of us, our younger years are full of time, health, energy but little money. As we grow older, we start to accumulate wealth but grow poorer in time, health, and energy.
Many people get to the end of their lives just to realize that they traded almost everything that truly mattered to them for money. They then realize that no matter how much they have, money would not give them another second here on this earth. They made a bad trade.
I am not trying to make money seem like the root of all evil because it is not. Money is inherently neutral, neither good or bad. It does however, have the ability to make us more of what we already are. Good or bad, a person’s ability to impact others is dramatically increased by their resources.
So what is the point? Money has become an integral part of our world but we can decide what our relationship with money will be. Most of us work for money but those that understand the principals of money have found out how to make money work for them and their lives.
Money is not everything in life. Not even close. But for those that ignore the principals of money, money becomes their master.
Don’t let this happen to you. Take control of your life. Decide right now what is truly important to you. What are your goals? What do you want out of life? What do you want to give to life? What do you have to do to accomplish these things?
If you don’t answer these questions then someone or something else will answer them for you.
Personal finance is only partly about money. It is mostly about you. It is about making your life amazing. It is about empowering you to make a difference in the world. It is about becoming who you are capable of becoming.
Don’t waste another moment living below your potential. You owe that much to those you love and those you encounter everyday. But most importantly, you owe that much to yourself and the future you are creating.
So what is next? Now that we understand what personal finance can do for our lives it is time to do something about it. Here are a couple of things to get started.
- Take Responsibility: It is so easy to blame our situations on our boss, our parents, our spouse, or anyone else. This is a dangerous way to think. You have to take full responsibility for your life. It doesn’t matter what people have done or haven’t done to you. Focus on what you can do and be accountable for the consequences of your actions.
- Educate Yourself: If you want to be successful and reach your goals you have to learn what successful people do. Success is not luck or an accident 99.9% of the time. It is small intentional steps every day towards your goals. I am not just talking about financial success. If you want to have incredibly strong family, study those that have had incredible family relationships. All the areas of life affect everything else. Personal finance is just one piece of the pie.
- Get to Work: Once you learn what you should do, you have to do it. Some people get caught in the everlasting world of education and never apply what they learn. When it comes to personal finance, you have to start with the basics first. A great framework to know where you are at is our Financial Foundation Blueprint. It outlines the first 6 steps to build a strong financial foundation that you can depend on for the rest of your life.
I know some of you are thinking, “this advice sounds good and all, but what are the specific things I should do to get started?” That is a very good question. I tried to address as many situations as possible in our Financial Foundation Blueprint but everyone’s situation is unique and we are all at different stages on the path. It is your responsibility to research what is the next step for you and to take action accordingly.
Personal finance can become very complicated if you let it. And sometimes it does make a lot of sense to work with a financial adviser to make sure your financial plan has no major holes. But there is always something that you can do today to improve the future for yourself and your family. Don’t wait another moment. Start now. Take Responsibility. Educate Yourself. Take Action. Build an incredible life now.