Ok, I admit it. Spiders creep me out! All of those legs moving stealthily around, dangling from your bedroom ceiling awaiting your slumber so they can crawl all over you and find lodging in your mouth...GAG!!! The fact is, though, even I have to give those creepy crawling critters a lot of credit for their determination. Every time I make my way out the back door to the barbeque, I break through a labyrinth of silk highways. From bush to bush, table to bench, grill to flower pot, the webs connect to provide easy access for the spiders in my yard. I even admit to a shred of guilt as I destroy their infrastructure.
What does all this have to do with money and financial well-being? I'm not trying to compare my horror of spiders to others' horror of financial planning. Spiders may creep me out, yet I appreciate their determination, focus and can-do approach. From the most intricately woven webs to single strand conveyances, theirs are purposeful constructions of utilitarian perfections. Moreover, obstacles barely impede their progress; someone walks through their work in progress, they begin again. Imagine if we could all be so perseverant and practical when dealing with our life issues, especially those that involve money. We would construct lives that meet our needs, values and dreams, with a single-minded purpose instead of being waylaid by every obstacle that comes crashing through our finely woven plans.
The obstacles I speak of are both internal and external. Often, they are fueled by guilt, desire, jealousy, ego and preference for impressing others rather that investing in what we ourselves truly value. These perceived "needs" can impel us to overstretch our financial comfort zones in order to purchase the latest and greatest car, house, or bauble. Our longing for such luxuries can invade our thoughts, dreams and lives, creating financial havoc and emotional unrest. The more we have, the more we want until the less we have...does this sound all familiar?
One of the greatest challenges of our time is learning how to zero in on our own needs and desires without being swayed by the constant messages we receive. How can one become spider-focused while being surrounded by television, advertising, movies, friends, relatives, co-workers, and even children who are chiming in about the next great need? Try as we might to shut it out, this noise gets internalized, fueling our decisions and diverting our thinking from what we know is appropriate adult action into irrational immature ideology. Is it immature to want that shiny new Jaguar? No, of course not. But it is immature behavior to buy it if you cannot afford it and thereby put yourself, your family and your financial stability in jeopardy. Maybe that's why we never see spiders driving Jags.
The process of creating financial well-being is neither haphazard nor linear. It's about connecting dots, moving from point to point with purpose and reason in a spider-like fashion. If one desires financial security, then there are associative steps in making that happen. The basic steps towards creating financial security are:
1. Protection
2. Accumulation
3. Distribution