By Pascale Hansen, Financial Expert on Cyno
Most people will tell you that they’re postponing fulfilling their life-long dream because they don’t have the time, money or energy to do so. Take a look at where you’re spending your time, energy and money and you’ll clearly see what you’re making a priority in your life. Whatever your dream may be, whether it’s landing your dream job, finding your soulmate or finding the perfect home, it’s what you do with your time and not what you want that really counts.
Making Time
Time is your most valuable resource because unlike energy and money, it’s irreplaceable. How you choose to use your time is how you choose to live your life. Time is your life. How you decide to spend it determines the quality of your life and how happy you feel.
If you keep using your time the way you have been, your life essentially stays the same. We can’t change anything in our lives without changing how we use our time. If you’re stuck in a rut and desperately want to get out, you must first make a choice to do so and then immediately follow up with action to make the change happen. You must acquire positive habits that become routine parts of your day. Those habits are the things you do without thinking about them and they are the building blocks to success. For example, if your goal is to lose weight and get healthy, you can’t eat right and exercise for a week and expect long term results. You have to determine your measurable goal, get a plan to achieve it and then execute on it consistently, day in and day out. The same principles apply with any other goal. You must use the tactics that work and make them habitual to be successful.
Having Energy
Creating our dreams takes commitment and energy. Your dream has to pass the energy test in order to have a chance of being realized. When you think of your dream, how strong is your desire? What would you do to achieve it? The answer has to be “whatever it takes” for your desire to have the strength you need to make it happen. It’s that very strength that will allow you to find the energy to achieve your dreams. Your physical energy is crucial as well and you may have to make lifestyle changes to support your mental energy. Typically this includes eating for energy (high protein foods, minimizing energy drainers like alcohol, sugar, salt and junk food), getting adequate sleep to restore yourself mentally and physically, meditating and taking time to enjoy nature and the company of loved ones.
Finding Money
Whatever your heart desires, even if it’s more time pursuing the simple pleasures of spending more quality time with the people you love, engaging in your favourite sport or hobby, going on weekend trips or being in nature, for most of us money plays a role in how often we engage in those pursuits. Often there’s a struggle with how we can support ourselves financially in a life that includes soul-nurturing time.
Many people decide not to work on making dreams happen unless they have enough money in the bank to do so. For those with the burning desire to see their dreams fulfilled, they make finding the money they need part of the journey. Money isn’t what enables you to do the things you really want to do. It’s actually what keeps you from doing it if you believe it has to come first. What really has to come first is committed focus and determination.
Where we spend whatever money we have is what’s important to us. Is what you desire important enough to invest what you have to make your dreams come true? If not, you’re better off being honest with yourself and realizing it’s your choice not to invest in or work on your dreams.
Successful people put their money where their dreams are, they know what they spend their money on and they make certain that what they’re spending is consistent and supportive of making their dreams a reality.
For some people making money is the central focus of their lives, for others time is more important than money. You can think about money any way you want, or not at all, for that matter. But make no mistake, how you think or don’t think about money can affect how much you have of it and the overall quality of your life.
What’s your relationship with time, energy and money?
Are you using them to improve your life or are you cursing and struggling with their limitations? Have you resigned yourself to not having enough, not having what you want or are you busy building the life of your dreams?
Pascale Hansen
Money Coach