From
the Bottom of the Bucket
“Don’t
it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?” -Joni
Mitchell
Are
You acCOUNTable?
The beginning of the new year is ripe with possibilities. Anything is possible! Build on last year's successes and forget about last year's failures. Explore "brave new worlds" (more on that later). But wait, do you even know the date? How about what you are doing tomorrow? Who is driving this train anyhow?
In my career as a Financial Life Planner, it was incredible to see, over and over, that regardless of how wealthy, intelligent and successful people were, how out of touch they were with basic information concerning their circumstances. Many times the biggest service we provided was collecting, aggregating and reporting basic data, so that people could bring their conception of reality in line with the actual reality.
If you intend to take charge of your life, it is very helpful to see where you have come from. In financial planning that involves listing and valuing your assets and liabilities, as well as detailing your income and expenses. In life planning, it involves an inspection of you calendar to see how you allocated your time and energy. Complicated? Not really. Easy? Definitely not! Think of it as stepping on your Fulfillment scale. What is your weight? Is it more or less than last year? Are you above or below your "ideal" number? It is my belief that the Purposeful Person keeps score on his or her efforts. Since this information is an important part of deciding what paths to take in the future, it is almost impossible to plan ahead without it.
If it is so important, why don't more people do it? I think there are several answers. First, it's a lot of work. Organizing and recording the data takes time and most people are unwilling to devote the energy. Another, probably prevalent, reason is that people don't want to validate their mistakes. They already know the answers in their heart, so why reinforce it with data?
Let me use a personal example. Most of you know that I am wrangling with two medical conditions, Parkinson's and Melanoma. All of my medical advisors have encouraged me to continue my exercise program, to assist my body in it's efforts. How do I know that I am doing that? I keep a tally sheet. Here it is for 2018 :
Now, I can evaluate what my plans for this year will be, do I need to cut back on my aerobics (over goal) and allocate that Vigor to Pilates (under goal)? Am I satisfied with my strength training (two years at 133) or do I need to revise my goal downward?
Before I appear to be promoting myself, I would like to quote William Shatner (told you I would get back to it). In his new book "Live Long and....." he says:
"I wanted to say to them, “Listen to me. I’ve got something important to
tell you,” but instead I learned how to parcel it out. You have to do it
slowly, meal by meal, whether it is a banquet or fast food. You have to take
advantage of every opportunity and not force it on anyone. While to me my
experience may seem like the most important piece of advice anyone has ever
given, to a young person it probably is less important than the last text from
a friend about who’s hanging at the mall. I had to learn not to take myself, or
my profound wisdom, too seriously:
Having made a case for asking you to set aside time to start the new year of purposefully, I temper it with Mr. Shatner's remarks. If you agree with the advice, divide your sessions into two categories The first, devoted to tallying 2108 metrics (you pick what is important) and the second to setting measurable goals for 2019. Then put things into action and for heaven sakes, keep score!
Here's to your prosperous and fulfilling 2019!
Bob
Until next month, I wish you fulfillment.
Bob
