Financial

The third area of life is Financial.  This is an area I feel I have some success in.  The long and short of it is, I am able to hang onto money.  I have self-control and do not spend all that I have.  I do not barrow money and I have cut up my last credit card.  Cash, checking, and a debit card is how I pay for things.  My checkbook is balanced to the penny and has been for years now.  I have an emergency fund and retirement savings.  I have a budget and I track my spending with financial software on my MacBook.  I am not a gambler but I am an investor.  Once a year, I get a financial check-up and a free credit report.  My aim is to be in a position where I can give generously.  I have strong feelings about money.  I think there is a right way to handle money and I want others to do their best as I think I am doing my best.  My area of struggle is not with spending however.  It is with income.  The other side of the equation has been tough for me.  I would like to get my earnings up.  Way up.  Having the right career, in the right place, where I am able to truly get behind the work, is the place that I believe I will earn the most dollars.  Ultimately, I am dependent on the Lord, as He is my provider.  My interest in this area is strong.  So much so that I have considered it as a place I could have a profession.  So far, that has not happened.  I have not figured out a way to help people with their money and make money at the same time.  I was listening to Larry Burkett years ago and still tune into the ministry he started, Crown.  I also listen to Dave Ramsey and read his books.  Both of these men I trust a lot.  I am also taking Financial Peace University.  I believe handling money is a process.  We all need to be taking steps in the right direction even if we are not all there yet.  How we spend money is an outside indicator of our beliefs and values.

Family

The next area of life is Family.  I enjoy spending time with family.  Excitement to me is being home with my wife.  Things do not have to be crazy wild for me to feel satisfaction.  I like doing things together as husband and wife.  I like sharing about our daytime activity.  I like having meals together.  I like watching a program or reading a book in the same room.  This weekend is Easter.  On Saturday, we will get together with Brenda's side of the family.  On Sunday we will gather with my side of the family.  It will be a time of eating, talking, and taking pictures.  Nothing too complicated.  Also, not too long to take away the enjoyment.  At the end of the day, people go their own way and we go ours.  To have a successful life, I think it is important to invest time, energy, and interest into those right in your own home.  There are a few relationships that are not what they could or should be.  Yet, I am open.  It is my hope to live at peace with all men.  If people want to reach me, they can.  I think this part of the wheel of life is better than it was years ago and certainly the best for me as I enjoy being married.

Career

The first component to the wheel of life is career.  I think it is important to find one's calling.  I want to find out why I am here on earth.  Why has God placed me here?  What is it that makes me unique and special?  How can I maximize my contributions while in this world?  If you have read my blog for any time now, you know that I am an active job seeker.  So that means this area is getting attention but I am not in a position currently.  So that means I am not getting feedback on how to improve or in a place to apply my skills, abilities, and passions.  Yet, I think the work I am doing now with career research will pay in the future.  Getting this area right is so important because I believe that working in the right area, where I am a good fit, where I have passion, and where I have skills will make all the difference.  Monday's will not be dreaded and Fridays will be celebrated for the weeks accomplishments.  I do not believe that work means I have to be belittled, beaten down, underpaid, and all around miserable.  Work, improvement, and betterment are all important to me.  I expect to be respected, trusted, heard, and valued.  I would like to work for a company that is based in the heartland and debt-free.  It will be where faith is part of the culture and where Wall-Street is not in control.  I am looking for a place with flexibility in regard to time and earnings.  I want to be a responsible overseer of resources.  Finances, my Christian faith, and technology are ongoing interests of mine which I hope can be a part of where I land next.

Seven areas of life

Zig Ziglar has a wheel of life concept when it comes to setting goals and leading a successful life.  The seven areas of life are Career, Family, Financial, Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual, and Social.  I have seen many other authors refer to these areas as the basics in life.  Sometime these are in a pie chart and likened to a wheel.  If one area is over inflated and one is under inflated then the wheel is not round and it can lead to a bumpy, unbalanced life.  I think the seven areas of life are a good start.  I have been thinking about them and setting up some goals around them.  The thing I find frustrating is how to get good at all areas all at the same time.  In my past, my career or job has made it very difficult to do any physical work-out consistently.  Right now, I am an active job seeker.  So, I have more time to get to the city pool to use the elliptical machine and have a swim.  But my finances are suffering.  Yet, I am attending Financial Peace University so maybe my finances are being helped or maybe my intellectual (personal development) is being helped.  I am not sure where to place that one.  See what I mean?  Life is always in flux.  Sometimes an area maybe set aside for a while but we eventually get around to it again.  I would like to have a career where I am still able to work on the other six areas of life and feel balanced and whole.

Clear out the junk now

Over a life time we can accumulate a lot of things.  If we stay in one place, it is easy to store more and more stuff.  We find more space, build more storage racks, and we tell ourselves we really need to hang onto it because it may eventually prove useful.  Please be aware that someone will have to go through what you leave after you have moved on or passed on.  It really should not be their job.  It is yours.  Clear out the junk now while you have energy and time.  If something is meaningful to you, have a special moment and let someone know the history and value of it, and give it away to a person who can understand.  Maybe a picture of your parents or maybe a special book is worthy to hang onto until you can pass it along properly.  However, those stacks of magazines and piles of old Cool Whip containers have no value.  Get rid of them.  Lighten up now.  Trickle the junk into the trash while you have time because this is your responsibility not someone else's.  Leaving a trash pile for others to sift through is not a way to bless people.  It is a hassle, difficult, and time consuming.  Make the decisions now about your stuff because you are the best one to do so.