Change your priorities – create a “plan for living”

June 23, 2007 · Posted in Choices, Goals

Much emphasis in our society is placed on taking care of our families in the event of our untimely deaths. (I am not sure that there is ever a “timely” death, but that is a thought for another post.) This is how insurance companies sell policies and how funeral homes sell prepackaged funeral services. Most of all, we are very conscious of preparing a will so that our possessions will be distributed as we see fit. All of this can fit under the title – A Plan for Dying.

Some of us also see the need to create a living will in order to address the problem of mental incapacitation. In other words, should we be hurt or otherwise mentally incapacitated to the point that there is no chance of us ever recovering our mental facilities, then we can instruct the doctors to “pull the plug” via a pre-arranged legal document, thus saving our families and loved one the anguish of making this decision. This can fit under the title – Create a Living Will.

It does seem odd to me that we place a disportionate amount of time and energy preparing for events that leave us dead or as good as dead while at the same time we make no effort planning our life.

What is the plan for your life? If you don’t have one, then don’t feel bad. If you look around, about 95% of the people you see are in your same situation – they don’t have a plan either. Incidently, the other 5% ( who do have a plan), own about 96% of the wealth in this country. Sobering thought isn’t it? Perhaps they are more interested in living than in dying.
If your plan is not written down, then you don’t have a plan – what you have is a dream. Dreams are fleeting wisps of vapor that are never really very clear. They are ideas, thoughts and hopes that never quite materialize because they have no substance.
Write your plan down. Call it your Plan for Living or whatever seems appropriate. The point is that you will never be able to accumulate wealth so that you can retire early, travel to exotic places, pursue your hobbies as you would like or spend quality time enjoying your children growing up without a plan.
Your plan does not have to be elaborate, it just has to be written down. The act of recording your action plan creates a tangible template for your life. When decisions arise about finances or opportunities, look at your plan and evaluate whether these potential choices fit with your overall plan. If they do, great. If not, then discard them and go on.
You will not hit the lottery. I seldom state things in the absolute, but I’m pretty sure of this.
If I am wrong and you do hit the lottery, then you will be back to your present financial situation or in even worse financial conditions within 5 years. That is a fact that is supported by evidence. About 80% of all lottery winners ultimately end up bankrupt.

It seems that it would be in your best interest to sit down with your life partner, if you have one, and determine whether the two of you should be more concerned with living or dying. Make it a point to create a plan or a list of goals that you feel are important. Then get busy taking actions that lead to the accomplishment of your goals.

Spend your life living.

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