The Assessment Process
So many of our decisions for the future depend on how we value our life and our family. Some of you have been blessed to be raised in a household whose love is easily displayed and expressed. Not all households are like that. Difficulties with finances can put limits on family time. Frustration over our hopes not coming true can increase tension and self-imposed stress. We forget how much stability is affected by poor financial habits and poor planning.
However, the point is that there is more to life than money. So, do not let money issues disturb your family relationships.
There is a lot of uncertainty derived from not being able to supply our needs the way we would like. The reality of earning an income to provide those needs can bring frustration when we fall short of what we have pictured as “enough”.
When difficulties disrupt your life, it is hard to get back on track. It requires some faith that you can find a way to restore your livelihood, to cover your needs.
Give Yourself a Purpose
Giving yourself a purpose requires some action on your part. It may come to you as an inspiration, but seldom without some reading and making observations on what will interest you.
My observation is that there are many more unselfish options than selfish options for a purpose in your life. Although providing income to cover your needs and wants may seem selfish, it does give you a basis for doing unselfish things.
Your action would benefit from the process of learning about your personality and your talents. That kind of study, taking tests, such as the Myers-Briggs test, can open your mind to insights for what you might find enjoyable to pursue as a vocation, to get an income to provide for your needs with purpose.
It is worth the effort if you make the effort. Otherwise, you are at the mercy of which way the wind is blowing and what jobs are available that you can qualify for. Just because it is available does not make it desirable.
The effort requires you to set your sail to use the wind to get you to where you need to go, to learn to become the person you need to become to qualify to do what you want to do.
If we know where we want to go, we have a purpose. Our daily plans will help us achieve our goals. We will give purpose to each day’s planning.
We All Have Value
Realizing that you, along with everyone else, have value is central to a good perspective for your personal philosophy.
Granted we are all valuable in the sight of God, as part of His creation. However, we must realize we are given certain skills and talents, though different from many others, they provide a unique opportunity for us.
Searching, experimenting, and any other form of discovery through trial and error will lead us to understanding our limits, our joys, and our potential.
This type of discovery is personal. So, even though we see potential in others, we can suggest they consider our observations, it will be up to them to make something of it. It is their choice, just as it is your choice to listen to other’s comments, to study what might interest you, or to take classes to learn more about your options.
We all have the gift of choice, to do or not to do. What choices will you make?
Whatever choices we make, we need to consider the fact that we cannot do it alone. We need each other. So, value those around you and their struggle to find a purpose in their lives.
We can be a help to each other. When we value others, they will value us. If you want value in your life, you must reflect the value in others.
Value Your Time
Developing a purpose to give you value in planning is an ongoing process. We can get better at it by being consistent in our effort. Our value will grow with what we learn.
Our value can grow in many ways, not just in our ability to earn an income. We can grow in our contribution to society—supporting social improvements, in our religious connections for spiritual welfare to friends and family, and in our ability to communicate with friends and family to enjoy the common growth and support that will build self-worth.
This process is not easy, or everyone would be doing it. However, it will be worth it. It will take time. So, value the time to learn what will get you closer to being valuable in these areas, at least.
Use Your Personal Scale
There are a lot of facts, a lot of knowledge, and a lot of “experts”. However, not all of them will be valuable to you and your present situation. Make reading and researching a part of everyday but weigh the value of what you see and hear on your personal scale.
You have the gift of choice. You can choose what is of value to you today, and what may be important to learn more about later and what may not pertain to you at all.
Our perspective may change over time based on what we learn about ourselves and what seems to interest us. And the more we understand that, then the faster we can discover what will have value to us soon and will help us make long-range personal goals.
Work on your scale and you will make better decisions for your future.
Love, Faith, and the Value of Your Future
We often like to think that all choices are ours, alone, to make. However, we must remember that we need the help of others to achieve our chosen goals. Our timeline for achievement may get modified to assist in the needs of the others in our life. That will be a test of our love and, often, our faith in the future of our relationships, our goals, and our opportunities for success.
Love is given. It is not just a feeling. It is an action. Acts of love endear you to others. Think about that and observe others who are loved or that you love.
Faith comes from things not seen. Many of your future opportunities are not known. However, your preparation and the decisions of others will meet at a point where your opportunity will appear, through faith. Then, you will say it was worth the cost of preparation, based on faith that the opportunity would come.
The time it takes to establish goals based on what interests you have and the daily planning to give your time more value will lead to achievement. You will grow in understanding and make improvements to this process over time.
Being consistent will not be easy or, sometimes, logical. But achievement in small steps will build momentum.
You Get What You Give
Whether it is making the time to plan, making the effort to work on what needs to be done, giving attention to friends and family, what you give will translate to what you get in return.
We can easily get distracted from these considerations. The options for desirable entertainment are many. Our TVs, phones, and computers have become sources for both useful information and distracting entertainment.
I am not saying that entertainment is not valuable. We need some to give our minds a rest from work. However, we can devote too much time to entertainment, which may impede our plans for progress.
That is the benefit to planning and setting goals. We can learn to value the time we need for work and the available time for play or other social distractions.
Give Value to Your Life
Most of us have people that we value more than others for various reasons. Think about that. Why do you value them? Was it something they said to encourage you? Was it something they did for you? Is it their loving nature?
Whatever your conclusion, you may notice that they are consistently doing something to make them valuable to you.
The value of your life will be more than the money you earn or the assets you accumulate. Your value will come from things you purposely and consistently do.
What we do on purpose and consistently will become a part of us. A habit that we can use to evaluate decisions we have to make on how we will spend our valuable time when others are involved.
Even though the title of my blog is A Mindset for Money, my focus is on you learning to be a good steward over your income so that it can have a very positive effect on the other aspects of your life.
Being stable with your money management can help take stress out of your time schedule, allow better health habits, and make learning more of a growing, satisfying experience rather than a survival experience.
As you grow in understanding, which will help you make wiser decisions, you will be more prepared to help others with their growth process. And, as you give of your time and resources, others will be grateful for your loving concern for their welfare.
Over time, that giving attitude will build a value that exceeds monetary wealth. And, though preparation may meet opportunity, you will always be thankful for faith in the process that gave you value!