Purposeful Pursuit of Planning

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours,” Henry David Thoreau quoted.

So how do we start planning to pursue our dream and become more mindful with our resources to live a life imagined? By creating a sound plan for our journey and implementing the necessary strategies, we begin connecting our financial resources as the means to live a life imagined. I’ll share some background of what often gets in our way and prevents people from planning their journey toward their dream leading to a better financial future and success.

Our life plan is shaped by our inner voice which influences how we see the world around us and provides guidance through senses, feelings, or images. It’s our choice whether to listen to our inner voice providing direction on how to live our lives. Even the most ambitious and achievement-oriented leaders have fear or doubt if their dreams are possible. However, by developing a plan, the right mindset, and taking action, we self-discover what is truly possible.

Planning for Life

Over the course of time, I’ve experienced how planning for life and financial goals can be in sync with one another. When we plan for our life, we should not think only about our financial being, but look holistically around the areas of wellness which support life balance. Those areas of wellness to consider in a plan involve our social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and occupational wellness. When we pursue our life with purpose, our goals, actions, and resources (such as money) are working toward getting us to where we want to go with more life satisfaction. It’s like listening to an orchestra when our life is in harmony, which leads to life fulfillment. During the times of our journey when we are not feeling on track, we often are not making sound financial decisions and feel less fulfilled.

At a young age, we are taught that the more we prepare and plan for the desired outcome, the higher the likelihood of success. For example, in school we often got better grades on exams by studying in chunks of time over a period of days, or even weeks, prior to the exam. When there is emotional engagement in a particular area of study, the willingness to put in the extra time to learn more may have accelerated our learning process by applying and teaching the information learned. The same principle applies in creating a path toward accomplishing a dream that leads to secure or prosperous financial future.

Persistence and Perseverance

We pursue a dream by asking questions about our purpose of how to serve others along the journey. Life will happen, as struggles and setbacks are part of the process. If lessons are learned and experiences are gained while sticking to our core strategy, eventually the results and successes will follow. Even when we start experiencing desirable results, we have to remember it takes continued patience and discipline to stay the course while our successes, wealth, and money gain compounds. What separates us from either making or breaking our dream is how much we’re willing to dig deep within ourselves to put in the daily work over the long-haul. The more persistence and perseverance over time, the more successes and wealth we can achieve.

Procrastination

Procrastination is our own worst enemy as it applies toward planning for our long-term goals for financial security and independence. Trying to plan and visualize where we might be five, ten or even twenty years away is difficult and can be overwhelming. Since financial independence or retirement goals seem so far away, there’s sometimes no urgency to sit down and start planning on what it’s going to take to reach that particular financial goal. There are several occasions when I have worked with clients on the daunting task of planning for retirement just prior to retiring, whether by choice, or based upon circumstances. In cases where clients built a plan and implemented their strategies five, ten, and even decades prior to retiring, they felt less anxious because they were better prepared financially and mentally to transition into their next life chapter. The reason why: it was all part of their plan.

There’s a saying, “the days can be long, but the years go by fast.” As we get older, time seems to go by faster. I look back on my life and realize that five years ago doesn’t seem that long back ago. My oldest son turned ten this year and it seems like yesterday my wife and I brought him home from the hospital. It’s just a reminder that time is of the essence to live for today and plan for tomorrow.

Purpose

Hope is not a plan, and a goal without a plan is only a wish. Whether it’s planning to pursue your dream, peace of mind, financial independence, saving for a child’s college education, living a comfortable retirement, or leaving a legacy, a plan’s purpose is to give direction on where we want to go, who we want to be with, and how we want to live. A plan evolves over time and the art of planning our days is essential to become more intentional with our most precious gift, our time.

In addition, JP Williams is the Founder of Pillar Wealth Group who lives and works near Columbus, Ohio. JP founded Pillar Wealth Group with over 17 years of experience and specializes in financial planning, retirement planning, investment management, risk management, college planning, and estate planning. Contact us today to get started with your financial wellness journey. Contact us today to schedule an introductory meeting!