The Quality of Your Life
Most of us get out of school and set our sights on getting a “regular” job to start receiving a “regular” paycheck.
In our enthusiasm, we neglect to consider the quality of our life based on that “regular” income.
Go Beyond “Regular” Income
Although there is some comfort in a consistent income, our enthusiasm will wane when we find our needs exceeding our income. I am giving you the latitude that some of those needs are wants that could have been put off until you could afford them.
Our enthusiasm for the future is easier to maintain if we can see the promise for more quality income over time. Quality income can be defined as higher, more consistent, and easier to maintain.
Work on a Career for Quality
Identifying your skills and the education required to get the kind of quality income you want will become the basis for your research of career options.
Career choices come with some anxiety over making the right choice. However, your working career will cover nearly fifty years. You will have time to make changes. Your chances for quality income go up with the amount of research and preparation you make for that decision.
There may be some higher-than-expected costs to qualify for a quality income. Be sure to research the opportunities and the percentage of those who go through the training and find the quality career promised.
The promise of quality income makes the price easier to pay. Not making the decision could lead to years of regret.
I would like to quote a well-known speaker, Jim Rohn. One quote is pertinent to my statement about finding quality income, “Working on a promise weighs ounces but regret weighs tons!”
Make the effort. You will be glad you did.
The Price You Pay for Quality
While you consider what you might do to prepare or qualify for a quality income, you must evaluate your talents, your personality, and your learning capacity.
Do you have mechanical skills? Do you enjoy working with people? Do you prefer to work alone? Do you enjoy math and making calculations?
These are just a few of the qualifying questions you need to ask yourself. Plus, you can look into tests you can take to help answer those questions.
Possible testing sites include Myers-Briggs Assessment, mypersonality.net, etc. Look under personality tests. These tests will help you consider what fields of work you are best qualified to pursue and what type of work will satisfy you the most.
Why Bother Looking for Quality?
How does quality income affect the quality of your life?
Let me offer a simple formula to give you a picture of what I want to say:
Income less Expenses = Savings or Debt
That sounds simple until you start out not knowing what your needs are and have trouble avoiding your wants with no regard to your income. That is what makes credit card companies so successful. We get lazy and they get rich!
Your assessment of what quality is for your financial affairs is very important. Your reflection on your real needs will determine what quality income looks like to you.
If you enjoy what you do for a living, getting up each day to earn that income is less stressful. Your general health will be easier to maintain. And your enthusiasm for the work will lead to higher pay and put you in demand for consistent employment.
That definition of quality income makes sense.
Build Quality into Your Life
Your family wants your time more than your money. They want you to be able to take those vacations and make some memories together.
If you must work a second job to pay for poor spending decisions and foolishness, then, few good memories can be made. Building quality into your finances will have a positive effect on yourself and your family life.
Being able to use savings to cover unexpected expenses, being able to take advantage of opportunities to invest in income-producing assets, being able to make donations to worthy causes, and being able to maximize your retirement fund contributions will be reflective of the quality of your financial philosophy and leave a legacy for your children to carry on.
Quality Income – Quality Life
The formula is simple. Commitment is easy to make if the promise is clear.
The work is worth it to keep the promise. Being lazy leads to regrets. Which do you want to realize over your lifetime?
Personally, I like the idea of earning a quality income that can lead to a quality life. A life where I can pay my bills, save for the unexpected and for my retirement, and build assets where a job becomes an option.
Of course, this takes time to develop. However, if you never start making the effort, your life will look more and more like a regret.
Remember: Your effort towards a goal, a promise, weighs ounces compared to suffering hard times, living with the regret of not pursuing a quality income which can weigh tons!
My recommendation: Seek out a quality income for your career that can lead to a quality life!