By We’ve been talking this month about investing in yourself, your family and your home, and one thing we notice when talking with clients is that people have a tendency to focus on the here-and-now. They don’t think about all the ways they can be investing in their future on a daily basis right now.
I don’t know about you, but as I laid out my goals for 2022, some of the words I wrote down were recapturing my margin, and balance. Notice I don’t say work/life balance because really, there is no balance in this career. Client crises don’t confine themselves to work hours, and the financial markets have no respect for vacation days.
I can’t control the markets, but I can control how I shape my schedule. I have to make sure I have enough of a margin to meet with clients, work with my team, and still get to my other job of being Uber for my kids’ activities. Of course I also leave time to spend with my wife in our new home, along with extended family.
Looking back at 2021, I pat myself on the back for doing well on my goals, but I gave up my margin when it came to my “me time.” I’m sure some of you can relate – you’re trying to get so much done for everyone else, you forget to leave time for yourself. So, I’m choosing to invest in future Dave by carving out time to exercise, time for my mental health and emotional clarity. And losing some Covid weight since the world didn’t actually end.
This means taking time reading, meditating, and finding time to simply be in the moment. Now, I know some of you are thinking, that’s great, but I also want to be ready when opportunities arrive so I can learn to be spontaneous again. Trust me, so do I! But I’m realizing that as the world started to reopen last year, I rushed out and did everything at once, and now I’m exhausted. I need that margin.
As we wrap up the first month of 2022, I challenge you to think about what you need to invest in for your future. Is it further education? Career advancement? Your kids’ activities or education? Or perhaps taking the family out for new experiences and memories? Remember, they’re your potential future caretakers, so they need to know how to both play gin and make you a gin and tonic you’re agreeable with!
In all seriousness, maybe this is where you can find ways to think outside the box. I have found myself in a smaller and smaller box over the last couple of years. So as spring and summer arrive and we have a few weeks until the next round of fall pandemic hits, I plan to try some new restaurants, take a new class, or perhaps visit a gallery I’ve never been to. What would expand your world this year?
The bottom line is that I want to encourage you to take some time this weekend to think about how you can be investing in your future. Remember, that doesn’t always have money tied to it – it could be your time.
Article by David Smyth, Senior Partner at Family Financial Partners — a financial services firm in Lexington, Kentucky.
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