Just like the lovers in the play, most of our struggle in our financial life is in our head.
Why can’t we get ahead or why can’t we do the things that our friends do? Why is our life not like the Facebook friend who is always on vacation or buying the latest fashions?
How do you feel when you are at work and you realize that we’re halfway through the summer and all of your “friends” have been to the beach or on vacation, yet your plans for the summer are staying home. So much for your “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, it probably feels more like a nightmare.
Whether you are single or part of a couple, this ongoing mental gymnastics about being, or having, enough, and comparing yourselves to others is self-defeating.
Is this struggle normal or it a greater issue with finding contentment with ourselves and our lives? What is “contentment”? Webster’s Online Dictionary defines contentment as “a state of happiness and satisfaction”, but for the rest of us, it’s not quite as easy to characterize.
Financial contentment is not easy in our instantaneous world of order online and next-day delivery. Our wants and our needs become confused. The result can be a financial life that feels more like drowning than success. Financial contentment must be developed and learned over time. It’s truly a lifelong process.
How do you stop the financial rat race nightmare and begin to create contentment in your life?
The answer is simple – Three Financial Don’ts and Three Financial Do’s
The Financial Don’ts
Don’t compete. Everyone’s life is different. Trying to compare your financial resources and success to another is like trying to measure yourself physically against the pictures and images that advertising and marketing would have us believe is how everyone should look.
Don’t complain. Are you a half full or a half empty type of person? Being negative only does one thing. It creates more negativity which then becomes an out of control spiral to self defeat.
Don’t compare. When you compare yourself to others, you lose. In an incredible stand for herself, Robin Korth reveals how she embraced her “Naked Truth” being divorced and single at age 59. Realizing that the truth is just that, and there is only one you.
The Do’s
Do establish long-term priorities and short-term schedules. Get a clear picture of your finances and agree or set financial goals so that you have complete clarity in your future.
Do decide how you will manage your finances. While everyone would do well to monitor finances, that doesn’t mean you have to manage it all. Technology can be a great assistant in helping you gather your information across different accounts, and helping you stay on your financial targets. Not sure how to utilize this technology? Contact us and we can show you several different ways to monitor and track your financial success.
Do involve others in making financial decisions. Ask for help when you need it. Whether you are single or part of a couple, admitting when you are in over your head is a powerful statement about your desire for financial success. Working with an advisor who understands your financial goals and desires can be the deciding vote to answer the hard questions, “Hey, can we afford this? Should we buy this? Is it worth it? What do you think?” Your relationship with your advisor should be more than just about your investments. They should know and understand you.
Creating a life of Financial Contentment and confidence will allow you to be a happier and positive person.
Got a struggle or a question about your Financial Life? Let’s work together towards the Financial Contentment you desire, and banish those Financial Nightmares from your life.
Michael
