Some people think it is completely bizarre that I write about both money and life skills.
As if money doesn’t have to do a lot with how we approach life and vice versa, I find it interesting when some pigeon hole themselves in one camp or the other.
However, the collective idea that you must improve in one or the other isn’t necessarily true, in a sense, it’s a false narrative.
Our habits determine the actions we take. Our actions determine what we pursue and focus our energy on. And what we focus our energy on determines most of our happiness.
It’s why many successful entrepreneurs and high achievers often talk about time and options, instead of working day in a day out for money.
In a sense, money is time, not the other way around. Yet most people focus most of their energy exclusively on one thing… their job!
Work is noble, it’s necessary, but if all energy goes to one thing, it’s no wonder why countless adults surveyed expressed frustration with their job and overall happiness!
But there is a simple solution… fix your money, fix your habits, and fix your life! Here is how!
Fix your life, fix your money.
When two of my friends set out to create their own companies, one a roofing company & gutter pro, the other a pressure washing company, they both (not knowing each other at the time) told me they wanted to accomplish the following:
- Find more time for themselves and family
- Flexibility in their life
- Control how they made money
- Work less and if they did work more, it was on their terms
- Find meaning and purpose
This is not to say you can’t do this at work. I truly believe some are destined to be entrepreneurs, while others are great at what they do as an employee. Some (like myself) can and enjoy doing both!
Regardless, a lot of what we do to find purpose has to do with knowing ourselves! You can’t have happiness if you do something you don’t enjoy. That doesn’t mean you need a life overhaul, but there are really four things that can help:
- Assess your long term thinking
- Figure out where you spend most of your time and where you might even waste time!
- Analyze how you make money and is it aligned with what you want?
- How do you take real action in your life? (See my other Thrive article on taking action here!)
So if you are looking to make changes, what would it look like, where would you start?
Start by assessing!
Perhaps the best thing you can do to start a new habit, make a life change, is to simply assess where you’re at.
You can get out a piece of paper and just rank things in your life on a scale of 1-10. Ideas might include:
- Money
- Work
- Time
- Balance
- Fitness
- Health
- Marriage
- Relationships
Once you rank your areas, don’t beat yourself up. Simply come up with 1 very, very simple action step for each!
When you’re looking to build on new habits, its important to start small and build from there. Think of it this way –
Singles lead to doubles, and doubles can eventually lead to home runs and winning games. But often times we naturally want to go for the home run, without first learning how to swing.
As you build on these habits, you should focus energy on both improving in areas of your life and finances because the two really do build on each other!
More money – more time. More time – more time to do things you enjoy. More time of enjoyment and impact – more purpose. More purpose – more happiness.
While the order might vary in your mind, the point is simple in that money and life are very much so aligned. Winning in one can come with losing in the other.
It’s important to always prevent that and be sure to focus you grow in both as your grow in life!