Fiscal Responsibility

When I talk to people, there's very little certainty about the nation's economy. We've seen major financial institutions on Wall Street and in the banking sector disappear for risky investment decisions, to be bought and paid for by more solvent and solid companies, with some of these companies getting incredible deals, and looking toward their future expansion.

What I am noticing, when I view the current economic situation is fear. But what I understand in my education is the fear has been there all the time. At the time of crisis, people become "more" of what they are. 

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real

I've talked to people who are considering extracting tens of thousands of dollars from their 401K savings to put in the bank. I don't think they've taken a look at what's really happening with our country and the economic woes. They base their information solely on the media. Their choices are to operate out of emotions. Emotions can tell a lot of things about what's going on inside you. Sometimes our emotions revert us back to our wounded child. I don't think I would want my 7 year-old wound self making decisions that could impact my future opportunities. So I don't operate from my emotions, unless I've done my emotional "sit-ups". I ask the hard questions. I research. I tune in and don't numb out. And I definitely don't follow the herd.

Yes, I've seen my retirement savings lose about 11% in the past several months. If I were to "cash out" my savings, I would be losing a whole lot more than that, (more like giving the tax structure a great big present) and I would be operating under fear. I'm not in denial. I invested for the long term, not the short term (short term, risky returns is the reason this mess got started anyway). I actually know there's some big opportunities to be had in the current market, and my optimism isn't misplaced.

If fear or any other emotion drives your decisions, whether you are in a crisis, or moving through life with with no parachute needed, you are not in control. Your emotions are running the show. When you trust information from outside yourself, you are letting the environment you live in dictate your choices. I'm not saying to live in denial. I'm saying, conduct your life with due diligence, investigate, research, know how you emotionally operate, and why you do what you do. A life coach can help you see the big picture of yourself and your best life.

Look at how you respond to life and crisis. It's important to train yourself to be emotionally fit. Discover your emotional patterns, and when the news isn't what you'd rather hear, have the tools to handle life with creativity and live life on your own sensible terms, not living life by operating on how other people and the current environment look and feel.



Before I left for the last coaching intensive, we were asked to look at one area of our life, where we needed to improve. I chose my finances. We were asked to come up with an action step that was measurable, that we could take, to radically improve our life in that specific area. I chose to create a budget for myself, and a plan to pay my current debt down. I also challenged myself to spend money only where I felt it was important to, and although I would love to go to workshops where I can learn and grow, I decided to put my present and future first, stick with a payment plan so I could have stability to do the things I know I want to do later. Since much of my income was from freelancing, one of the other things I knew I needed to take action on was to find a reliable work position that paid me on a regular basis. I couldn't produce a budget if I didn't know what my income looked like.

It took some time, but I found the perfect work opportunity, and really am enjoying the work I'm doing. I threw a lot of fishing lines out to find the position I currently have, and was willing to do most anything in my field, but I also allowed myself to think bigger, and out of the box, and my work life is better than I could have imagined since I chose to be open-minded and look at unlimited possibilities, and not see myself doing something specific, and pigeon-hole myself and my skills.

It's important to build certainty in my own life, and make plans to succeed. That's why I am being trained as an integrative coach. I know I will be able to help others get what they want with my excellent training.

The best part about building certainty, is creating fun along the way, and knowing that life can be better than I ever imagined!