Often we lack the confidence to move out of the rut we are in and explore new ways of thinking. Thinking differently usually results in acting differently. When we act differently we see different results. We’ve all heard the quip –The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Fear is often the thing that keeps us stuck where we are. Fear results in paralysis, and often results in our failure. How strange is it that the very fear we have, the fear of failing, can cause us to do exactly that?
Just let me reminisce a bit, back to my last year or two of high school. Now I don’t know what you knew or thought you knew when you were 16, but I look back and wonder how I survived.
Watergate and Vietnam were in the news, and the few times that I listened to the news the war loomed large. I had three uncles who served in WW2 and Korea and my father served during Korea in Germany.
With that influence I did not think it was a question of if I would be drafted and serve the US military, it was a matter of what branch and when. I can remember the horror stories of the shots (injections), during induction and boot camp, and as much as anything this made me a wee bit nervous. Can you imagine being afraid of a shot, rather than being afraid of being shot? Teenage wisdom at its best. I won’t mention who I voted for as president my first election.
My dad went on to tell me his military experiences to illustrate that he and millions of other folks had served in the military and returned home unscathed. Even getting a shot or two to keep you from getting some disease while deployed. Needless to say Dad had me at least partially convinced that I could do this!
This type of can do attitude directly applies to you and your family finances! There are many things that might cause you fear or uncertainty with regard to any kind of financial hurdle you might face. Many times in our 40 years of marriage my wife Kathy and I have wondered how is this bill going to get paid? It would be easy to let a question like that paralyze you from action. It is as natural as being nervous about shots!
However, in 2002 we took some personal finance training with some other friends and discovered that the way it works best is that you work a plan. The great thing about a plan? It takes a ton of the unknowns out of the equation and with it, a lot of the fear. You sit down monthly together and plan how you’ll pay for everything. You build up an emergency fund to cover those unexpected things that will crop up, and you do your best to minimize what will be a surprise.
While the idea of planning out your finances can seem daunting, it is really more like a shot than anything. Just like a shot is there to prevent disease from taking hold, your plan is there to help eliminate bad spending habits. And just like a shot, the idea of writing out a plan is often far worse than the actual implementation of the thing. You can do it!
You should take encouragement in the fact that no one does this perfectly. However, based on years of money coaching and working with hundreds of folks just like you and me, I can state without reservation. YOU CAN DO THIS!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!