Be A Little Squirrely!
In the early mornings, I usually have a cup of coffee on my screened porch. The cool morning breeze before sunrise gives a fresh feeling to the day. Each day can be seen as a new journey.
This morning, while having my coffee, I observed two squirrels in the backyard. It is unclear whether they were chasing each other or fighting. Since it is early summer, food is abundant, yet they remain very active.
This led me to think about their lives and how they spend the summer and fall months preparing for winter. Even when the sun is up and the environment is blooming, they continue to gather nuts and supplies for the colder season.
It prompted me to reflect on human behavior. Do we use our favorable times to prepare for more challenging ones? Nature appears to offer many lessons if we take the time to observe.
The challenge for this week is to reflect on ways that you can prepare yourself and your family for the future. This may include:
1. Analyzing your monthly spending needs and assessing if you need to adjust spending habits to allow you to save and create or add to your emergency fund
2. Consider your planning / savings for retirement to see if you are maximizing the opportunity to plan for your later chapters in life.
3. Looking at life events that may soon be impacting you (marriage, birth of a child, moving, changing jobs, etc.) and assessing what steps you can take to better plan for these changes and how these changes impact your future plans.
All of the above ways can prepare you for the more difficult times whether they come sooner or later in life. Having lived many chapters of my life already, I know the importance of planning and the many mistakes that I have made and that others make. The top three are:
1. Life is busy! Many times you assume you will plan later and later never comes.
2. Failure to plan early so you and your family can benefit from the gift of time and compound interest.
3. Not asking for help or seeking out resources to set you on the right track early in your process.
So for today, get a little squirrely and start planning! If you need a little help – give us a call!
Best to you –