Business
Why No Change? “A prudent question is one half of wisdom.” - Francis Bacon Why do some people recognize their choices and make decisions that enhance their lives, but others fail to see choices, or see them and fail to act? There may be many different reasons, but I want to highlight a few. Lack of information I’ve talked to a lot of people of all ages who simply didn’t have any background in financial issues, so they weren’t aware of their options in managing their money. Some of them had seen countless ads about investments, but for some reason, they always thought they were for somebody else. A little information, though, can work wonders. Many of these people devoured the booklets and charts I gave them, and they scoured the web sites I sent them to—and they learned what they needed to know to make good decisions with their money. The wound I know people who experienced the devastating trauma of abuse, the emotional scraping of habitual criticism, or the gnawing pain of abandonment. These wounds affect every area of our lives, including how we manage money. They distort our ability to perceive things accurately, and they drive us to take big risks to hit it big and prove ourselves, do whatever others want to please them and earn approval, or hide from any form of risk to protect ourselves from hurt again. Wounded people have additional hurdles to overcome, but I’ve seen many of them face their hurts with courage and learn life’s richest lessons about love, life, and money. These men and women learned the hard way, but they learned. When we’ve been deeply hurt, we feel like victims, talk like victims, and act like victims. Victims blame others for their problems, and they remain paralyzed, unwilling or unable to take steps forward. Certainly, an honest assessment of our lives includes the fact that we’ve been hurt, and we can then grieve the losses, forgive the offender, and move on with our lives. Some people prefer the convenience of blaming others rather than taking responsibility for their futures. Moving forward takes a lot of courage, but it’s the path of healing and growth. Shame Some of us have given up. In the past, we may have tried to make life work, but we failed. Or maybe we never tried at all. For some reason, we feel hopeless and helpless, letting life just pass us by. People who feel ashamed focus their attention on themselves, but they sure don’t like what they see! Their view of life is, “Nothing will ever go right, and if I try, I’ll just mess things up.” They put on masks to try to look happy and competent so nobody will know what’s really going on inside, but the gloom of shame doesn’t result in a positive, future oriented, purposeful life (or an effective financial plan). The Highway to Hell "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.” Up Next... Day 19 of 40 Days to Make Your Money Count No vision for the future “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” - Victor Hugo