I don't like messy, yet I apparently lack the DNA that would make me a neat freak. Still, my appreciation for tidiness sometimes impels me to organize and arrange whatever catches my gaze, including my bank accounts. Each month I reconcile my bank account and carefully review my accounts and budget, satisfying my craving for order.
While walking through the woods recently, I noticed tree limbs that have cracked, partially torn from the trunk. Someone should just cut that cleanly off, I thought, and clear the detritus from the forest floor - it would look so much better. Nature, though, has its own sense of order. Rotted trunks, branches and leaves litter the earth; vines, weeds, mushrooms and moss crawl around boulders and small rock outcrops. I guess the birds, animals and insects that inhabit this space like it this way, otherwise, they'd do something about it, right?
In one area, I spotted a particularly egregious example of wooded mess. My initial reaction was to wonder why no one did anything about this pile of broken, charred and rotted trees. Obviously, lightening had struck, leaving a gaping dent in the forest wall. As I contemplated nature's "mess," it occurred to me that everything was as it was supposed to be. The ruined site wasn't askew, it was perfect, providing space for regeneration in a new form; I was probably the only being in the forest that expected this regeneration to be orderly, neat and perfectly arranged. Suddenly, I could see perfection in the chaos. I also understood that there's a difference between landscaping and what I call lifescaping. This patch of destruction was a perfect example of lifescaping in that it was unpredictable: what it will become is unimaginable, but also contains endless possibilities.
Landscaping is defined, directed and created, in many ways artificial. Lifescaping, on the other hand, allows the ebb and flow of life's random occurrences to present opportunity and challenge. We attempt, appropriately, to 'landscape' our financial lives, considering and planning each step; lifescaping is the raw, dynamic and vital side of life that provides growth through processes mysterious and unknown. Landscaping provides a fairly certain outcome; with lifescaping, all bets are off.
There are times when landscaping is preferable to lifescaping; times when preconceived outcomes are more appropriate. Your personal money life is more suited to a well-conceived plan and execution; however, if you're an entrepreneur, a bit of lifescaping could lead to innovation and great success. There is something wild and unpredictable about allowing life to take whatever direction it will, but just like the chaotic scene in the forest, the possible outcomes are many.
I have met couples who have lifescaped their financial lives. They typically come with an attitude that whatever will be, will be, a fatalistic approach to their lives. They do not connect with the likelihood that their decision to remain uninvolved is most likely a disaster in the making. A "God-will-provide" posture usually hides their lack of knowledge, revealing their cynicism and fear in facing the challenge of taking control. There is a time and place when chaos and chance are appropriate and a time where order and planning need to lead the way. Learning which approach to take at which juncture is the key.
My walk through the forest path continued until I reached the crystal waters of a pristine lake. Someone had left a bottle on the beach; the lack of tidiness heightened my sense of chaos. Grabbing the trash, I headed for the barrel. Once again, all was right in the world.
