A Funeral
I once heard a speaker get the attention of his audience regarding making positive changes in their life by suggesting they take time to sit down and write out their own obituary.
For most of us that is a chilling thought. None of us want to think about our life coming to an end. However, we all have a limited amount of time to live.
We each need to consider how to make that time count for something.
Personally, I find this mental exercise helpful when making long-range goals. But pay attention to the fact that long-range goals are made up of short-term actions to achieve them.
Good Health Helps
You may reflect on how busy you have been recently and often looked at the scales wondering how you picked up those extra pounds. That should be your first clue that you are putting your health at risk.
Putting your health at risk will lead to less time to write your story. That is, you need time to reach your goals and good health will help you have the energy and the extra time to do what you need to do to make your story worth hearing about.
Hopefully, your story will include how kind and helpful you were.
Work Your Income Options
Money is not what makes people happy. But money does help you do a lot of things that can make you happy.
One of my goals in writing this blog is to help you build a better mindset for money and how to acquire it by developing income options.
You start by working with the skills you have. But some jobs do not pay well because most people have those skills and can be easily replaced.
A little research, including questions for AI, on what jobs interest you will help you learn what skills you need to acquire for better pay options.
You may need more than reading and coursework. Hands-on experience is one of the best learning tools. But you must give adding skills the attention it deserves.
Acquire knowledge about how to do new skills that companies or customers are willing to pay for. New skills lead to new income options!
Spend Time with Family
Family relationships can be the basis for your financial success in life and can add a memorable part to your obituary.
I can testify that divorce will undermine your financial stability. I am very thankful that I never let that experience spiral down into drug or alcohol abuse. That would have become a total disaster, with few good memories to pass on.
Treat your family like the treasure they are! Getting them together for visits may be difficult. But when you can, make that time count!
Make Time Better for You
If you really do care less about what I or others have to say about trying to improve your present self, then, you will prove that out in your actions, that you are careless, and your family will know you care less about them than yourself.
Do you want your obituary to read that you could care less about others and that you were careless in your behavior?
If not, then consider how you might make time to add to your knowledge, understanding of those around you, and how to reflect that understanding in your communication.
Just facing the fact that you do not know all you need to know is a humbling experience. And admitting that to others will cause more people to make respectful comments at the visitation service.
I want you to live a very long life! But do not wait until the end to make positive changes that can add to your income options and the love and respect of your family.
Make time count to make improvements now and you will have more time to benefit from the changes!
Being In the Moment Can Be Productive
I know you must do the work your employer asks of you to get your next paycheck.
That is certainly being in the moment!
Making the most of each day is a way to be in the moment. It requires planning to make the most of each day. That is a method to help make each day count!
Being productive means you get things done. Do you plan to get things done? Or do you wonder why time just flew by?
You must make yourself aware of the value of time and consider your options on how to use the time you have left.
If you want to be effective and accomplish something worthwhile to you, you must include a way to identify what that is and plan to make time for it!
Include Plans to Work on Your Future
If you make improving your health and your skills and your family relationships a part of your daily habits, you can build a better base for a longer and fuller life.
A longer life means you will need more money to finance your retirement.
A large retirement fund means you will be able to do more, help more, and be a blessing to your children.
But money must not become your focus. Service to others is known to be the basis for most who became financially successful. You can read about that if you study how to become wealthy.
Selfish behavior seldom makes people rich or get warm remarks at funerals.
Be sure to add life-long learning to your list for planning. This has become essential for financial hopes.
Become aware of technology changes, which might interfere with your income options. And that awareness will be important to know as you learn to invest.
And you can become an investor if you learn to save money!
Retirement planning with a longer-life plan can overcome the weakness of the Social Security System.
You need to plan on that! The government is having trouble handling the money you gave them. So, you must prove to yourself that you can manage your money better than they can!
Do not follow the example of Congress!
Be better than that. Make better plans. Use a budget to limit spending and save more money!
Make plans to work on your future!
Enjoy What You Have and be Thankful
I must caution you against becoming too focused on increasing your income and possessions. Just enjoy what you have while you work on your skills.
Progress may not come as smoothly as you might hope. But the hope is that you will be prepared when the opportunities do come along. And they will.
Your obituary will reflect what you decide to do. But I hope you get serious about learning all you can about what it takes to be valued, on the job and as a person.
Enjoy each day. Being thankful for the little blessings along the way will help you be more hopeful that bigger blessings are coming soon!